How Organizations Learn: The Normative Perspective

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How Organizations Learn The
Normative Perspective
MPA 8002 The Structure and Theory of Human
Organization Richard M. Jacobs, OSA, Ph.D.
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Organizational life is not conducive to learning

• barriers to learning exist within the
  organization due to the fundamental, conflicting
  ways in which individuals have been trained

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The concept...

• facilitating factors

the structures and actions that provide learning
in any organizational setting which collectively
determine the organizations learning potential
Facilitating factors (FFs) promote learning in
any organizational setting. The more that each
FF is present in an organizational setting, the
greater the opportunity present for learning.
Collectively, the FFs represent the
organizations current potential for learning.
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Represents a normative perspective

• organizational learning only transpires under a
  unique sent of conditions

presumes that the learning organization reflects
an ideal form and that organizations moving
toward that ideal form are increasing their
chances for achieving organizational goals
unless the right conditions are present,
organizations face what may be insurmountable
barriers to learning
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• the learning organization, as a particular type
  of organization, is characterized by a specific
  set of internal conditions?norms?which represent
  the best practices through which knowledge is
  acquired, disseminated, or used

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• a learning organization does not arise by
  accident or happenstance but is built upon the
  strategic choices of managers/leaders

• developing a learning organization requires
  management/leadership that seeks to enhance its
  employees competences, corporate culture, and
  formal structures in accordance with the
  normative conditions

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• the challenge for management/leadership is to
  creates a sense of urgency and vision and
  provides a clear path for intervention which
  results in learning

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The thirteen facilitating factors

• scanning imperative

• operational variety

• performance gap

• multiple advocates

• concern for measurement

• involved leadership

• systems perspective

• organizational curiosity

• learning confidence

• shared vision

• climate of openness

• learning enjoyment

• continuous education

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The thirteen facilitating factors defined...

• Scanning imperative to scan the environment as a
  basic process to increase awareness of the need
  for learning

• Performance gap the shared awareness among
  organizational members that there is a difference
  between the organizations desired and actual
  performance

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• Concern for measurement extended consideration
  of measurement issues is a crucial component of
  learning, affording a concrete way to get all
  participants mental models out in the open

• Organizational curiosity to view the structuring
  of work at all stages of the value chain as
  todays experiment or experience gathering as
  opposed to the one best way to promote learning
  rather than to retard it

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• Climate of openness learning is a function of
  daily, unplanned interactions among people where
  informal contacts allow people to pursue
  interesting relationships on their own

• Continuous education work settings support
  learning of all kinds, ranging from on-the-job
  and apprenticeship experiences to
  company-supported individual initiatives to seek
  out knowledge and to improve skills

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• Operational variety to support variation in
  strategy, planning, process, structure, and
  personnel so as to be able to adapt as unforeseen
  problems arise

• Multiple advocates respected people at lower
  levels can be influential advocates (champions)
  because they operate not form a position of
  formal authority but because they possess the
  authority of knowledge

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• Involved leadership leaders who are early
  developers and students of organizational
  knowledge who engage in hands-on implementation
  of the vision, including being visible in the
  bowels of the organization as a model for the
  learning effort

• Systems perspective the ability to think in
  terms of the synergy of whole systems and the
  interdependence of the parts

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• Learning confidence a lag variable representing
  historical precedent indicating that learning in
  the past makes learning in the present
  increasingly possible

• Shared vision a qualitative measure of team
  learning which occurs because members share
  values or vision

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• Learning enjoyment celebrating the learning
  achievements and creating an atmosphere where
  humor and fun are part of the process of
  acquiring new knowledge

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Scanning ImperativeApproach Myopia/Scouting

• to scan the environment as a basic process to
  increase awareness of the need for learning

• myopia the focus is solely upon what the
  organization does

• scouting the focus is upon environmental
  scanning to envision alternative ways to enhance
  performance

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Scanning Imperative Challenge...

• Ask What does the organizational need to know
  and to learn?

scanning the environment to sense development
problems or opportunities, to stimulate and
direct knowledge acquisition, and to respond
proactively
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Performance GapApproach Managerial
feedback/incremental improvement

• the shared awareness among organizational members
  that there is a difference between the
  organizations desired and actual performance

• managerial feedback the analysis of performance
  shortfalls which can inhibit learning

• incremental improvement the abiding interest
  into analyzing how better to achieve desired
  outcomes

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Performance Gap Challenge...

• Ask What does the organizational shortfalls?

awareness of a performance gap opens the door to
organizational learning as this awareness
stimulates the need to generate new knowledge or
to unlearn unproductive behaviors or processes
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Concern for MeasurementApproach Monitoring and
control/incremental improvement

• extended consideration of measurement issues is a
  crucial component of learning, affording a
  concrete way to get all participants mental
  models out in the open

• monitoring and control the analysis of
  performance shortfalls which can inhibit learning

• incremental improvement the abiding interest
  into analyzing how better to achieve desired
  outcomes

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Concern for Measurement Challenge...

• Ask What dont people want to consider?

approaching a problem with an open mind
concerning what needs to be measured and the use
of metric development can provide a powerful
learning experience
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Organizational CuriosityApproach
Validation/Experimentation

• to view the structuring of work at all stages of
  the value chain as todays experiment or
  experience gathering as opposed to the one
  best way to promote learning rather than to
  retard it

• validation interest is focused upon the one
  best way

• experimentation a learning laboratory allows for
  pilot programs and small failures that promote
  learning

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Organizational Curiosity Challenge...

• Ask What dont I want to tamper with?

to adopt a plan for small, evolutionary
experiments that promote learning rather than to
contemplate revolutionary efforts that promise
failure
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Climate of OpennessApproach Formal/Informal...

• learning is a function of daily, unplanned
  interactions among people where informal contacts
  allow people to pursue interesting relationships
  on their own

• formal hierarchical relationships and networks
  set perimeters for knowledge acquisition

• informal knowledge is acquired through
  interactions defined by interests and needs

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Climate of Openness Challenge...

• Ask Who possesses knowledge I need?

to allow freedom within which people can express
their views so that information boundaries are
permeable and organizational members can observe,
participate, debate, and disagree
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Continuous EducationApproach Formal/Informal

• work settings support learning of all kinds,
  ranging from on-the-job and apprenticeship
  experiences to company-supported individual
  initiatives to seek out knowledge and to improve
  skills

• formal the organization prescribes the learning

• informal people take responsibility for their
  learning

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Continuous Education Challenge...

• Ask What needs to be learned?

to provide schemes in which people select their
developmental experiences, seek out learning
opportunities within and without the
organization, and take personal responsibility in
general for their own continuous learning and,
then, demonstrate it applicability for the
organization
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Operational VarietyApproach One Best Way/Many
Best Ways

• to support variation in strategy, planning,
  process, structure, and personnel so as to be
  able to adapt as unforeseen problems arise

• one best way organization punishes variation in
  strategy, policy, etc.

• many best ways organization supports variations
  by providing opportunities for people to
  understand the implications and consequences of
  different ways to achieve shared goals

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Operational Variety Challenge...

• Ask How might we work to achieve our goals?

to develop multiple role models and provide
multiple opportunities for people to understand
examine the multiple implications and
consequences of different ways of working
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Multiple AdvocatesApproach Power/Knowledge

• respected people at lower levels can be
  influential advocates (champions) because they
  operate not form a position of formal authority
  but because they possess the authority of
  knowledge

• power a small number of advocates and
  gatekeepers promote a narrow agenda

• knowledge a large number of advocates and
  gatekeepers promote several agendas

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Multiple Advocates Challenge...

• Ask Who possesses critical knowledge and skills?

to promote project champions who contribute
new ideas and introduce new knowledge into the
organizational system and who influence others
regarding the value of the new ideas and knowledge
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Involved LeadershipApproach Hands Off/Hands On

• leaders who are early developers and students of
  organizational knowledge who engage in hands-on
  implementation of the vision, including being
  visible in the bowels of the organization as a
  model for the learning effort

• hands off mandate learning

• hands on a model and stimulus for learning

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Involved Leadership Challenge...

• Ask Who sees me learning and where?

to stimulate learning by benchmarking against
exemplars, providing coaches, developing critical
self-awareness, involving others in small-scale
studies, and participating in programs with those
supervised
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Systems PerspectiveApproach Individual
Parts/Synergy of the Whole

• the ability to think in terms of the synergy of
  whole systems and the interdependence of the parts

• individual parts focusing upon idiosyncratic
  processes, structures, and dispersed actions

• synergy of the whole thinking in terms of the
  organization as a system and the interdependence
  of parts

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Systems Perspective Challenge...

• Ask How does everything work together?

to enhance cognitive complexity in people so
that they envision better synergies and develop
their competencies across a broad array of
organizational activities
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Learning ConfidenceApproach Fearful/Eager

• a lag variable representing historical precedent
  indicating that learning in the past makes
  learning in the present increasingly possible

• fearful challenging taken-for-granted beliefs,
  assumptions, and values is punished

• eager thinking in critical terms about the the
  organization is rewarded

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Shared VisionApproach Conformity/Commitment

• a qualitative measure of team learning which
  occurs because members share values or vision

• conformity acceptance is without question and
  with little time, feeling, or focus devoted to
  its implementation

• commitment people believe in the organizational
  vision and devote their time, feeling, and focus
  to its implementation

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Shared Vision Challenge...

• Ask Are people enthusiastic about why we do what
  we do?

to drive the vision and its values throughout
the organization so that decisions can be made at
the lowest level possible in the organizational
hierarchy as people relate what they do to why we
do it
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Learning EnjoymentApproach Participates/Embodies

• celebrating the learning achievements and
  creating an atmosphere where humor and fun are
  part of the process of acquiring new knowledge

• participates involvement is purely functional
  based upon contractual requirements

• embodies involvement is a substantive response
  to ones belief and faith in the organization and
  its members

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Learning Enjoyment Challenge...

• Ask Do people believe in themselves and one
  another?

to promote an organizational culture where
people can be authentic with one another in their
formal and informal networks and relationships
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The 13 FFs and building organizational learning
capacity

• the 13 FFs represent the critical factors
  indicating the degree to which organizational
  learning actually takes place

because the FFs are normative, it would be
ideal for an organization to exhibit as many of
these FFs as is possible
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• management/leadership must now formulate a
  learning portfolio and learning strategy to
  develop the organizations learning capacity

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This module has focused on...
facilitating factors
the structures and actions that provide learning
in any organizational setting which collectively
determine the organizations learning potential
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The next module will focus on...
The capability perspective
...the processes by which managers/leaders foster
the development of those behaviors which build an
organizational culture characterized by learning