Making Sense of Lessons Learned

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Making Sense of Lessons Learned

• David Boan, Ph.D.
• Delmarva Foundation
• Easton, Maryland

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Overview

• Introduce concept of sensemaking
• Describe how to clarify lessons learned
  (sensemaking)
• Describe how to translate a lesson for others
• Describe the skills associated with each step
• Assist the group in developing their skills
  through demonstration and facilitated practice

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Sensemaking

• Sensemaking is making sense through discussion
  of how a person filled gaps in their knowledge
  and how they applied what they learned. The
  purpose is to make explicit what may be implicit
  and to make it possible for others to benefit
  from the new knowledge.

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The Process of Learning

• SituationsWhat you are doing or the subject of
  your experience, e.g., a quality improvement
  project.
• Gaps Missing or incomplete knowledge that are
  seen as needing bridging, translated in most
  studies as "information needs" or the questions
  people have as they make sense and move through a
  situation.
• UsesThe uses to which the individual puts newly
  created sense or knowledge. How did you act on
  this knowledge?

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Knowledge from Problem Solving
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Interviewing

• The lesson learned is at the end of a process.
  In order to get a clear lesson you need to make
  the process clear for the person who experienced
  it. Getting lessons learned is not about
  acquiring facts.
• The fundamental skill for clarification is
  reflection. Paraphrasing or reflecting back to a
  person helps them reconstruct what they
  experienced.

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Key Point

• Focus your interview on insight and action. A
  need gives rise to an insight, and from the
  insight a solution is developed and tested.
• It is common for people to repeatedly test
  solutions through trial and error, especially if
  they have limited access to expertise. The entire
  process is worth clarifying and sharing
  (sometimes called a story).

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Key Point

• A lesson learned is not the same as a success.
  People will filter what they share when they
  think it not only has to be a success, but has to
  be a noteworthy success to be worth sharing.
• Learning is independent of success.

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Interview Questions

• What was observed, i.e.what was the problem or
  gap?
• How was this interpreted?
• What action followed?
• What lesson was learned from the action?
• How was this lesson applied?

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Group or Individual?

• The basic unit for sensemaking is the individual.
• Clarification is a social process and can be done
  in groups where trust has been established.
• Groups or teams are integral to sharing the
  lesson beyond the individual, a process called
  translation.

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Sharing the Lesson

• Once a lesson has been clarified it must be
  considered again to prepare to share with others.
  Two questions
• How do we know this is worth sharing?
• How do we maximize a lessons value for others?

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Three Value Tests

• Provides an insight to help people see what will
  help them with problems they face.
• It is generalizable, i.e. applies to other
  situations.
• It is relevant, i.e. it pertains to current and
  real issues faced by people.

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A Useful Lesson

• Addresses a barrier, problem, or characteristic
  that exists in the population or setting at
  large, not primarily in a local population. 
• The action can be replicated by others and is not
  based on something unique to that setting or
  time, i.e. not a unique one-time event or
  specific to a local setting. 
• The skills to implement the lesson learned are
  generally available in the target population or
  can be readily obtained.  
• The lesson learned is actionable, i.e. it
  describes what a person should do in clear,
  unambiguous language. It is readily
  understandable.

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Insight and Action

• When communicating with others, they will at
  least need to know the insight and the action, so
  they can judge
• Does this give me an insight I can use?
• Is it relevant?
• Is this something I can do?
• Examples.

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Guided Practice

• Helping people clarify their experience requires
  skills. The skills need to be practiced.
• Be clear about the skills. If your interview
  skills are weak get a counseling handbook or
  arrange for mentoring.
• Practice where you can be observed and get
  feedback. The importance of this cannot be
  overstated.

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Further Reading

• Dixon, Nancy (2000) Common Knowledge How
  Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know
  Boston Harvard Business School Press
•  
• Weick, Karl (1995) Sensemaking in Organizations
  Thousand Oaks Sage Publications
•  
• Weick, Karl and Sutcliffe, Kathleen (2001)
  Managing the Unexpected Assuring High
  Performance in an Age of Complexity San
  Francisco Josey Bass