LESSON 18: THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

"The learning organization is a group of people who are continually enhancing their capabilities to create what they want to create has been deeply influential. We discuss the five disciplines he sees as central to learning organizations and some issues and questions concerning the theory and practice of learning organizations."

There are 5 disciplines in the learning organization:

1. SYSTEMS THINKING - generally oriented toward the long-term view
2. PERSONAL MASTERY - continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively
3. MENTAL MODELS - deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action
4. BUILDING SHARED VISION - it is the capacity to hold a share picture of the future we seek to create
5. TEAM LEARNING - the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire

In a learning organization, leaders are designers, stewards and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations were people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models – that is they are responsible for learning.

The leader as the designer entails handling the organization’s policies, strategies and ‘systems’ as key area of design, at the same time, leadership goes beyond this. The task of the leaders is designing the learning processes whereby people throughout the organization can deal productively with the critical issues they face, and develop their mastery in the learning disciplines.

One of the important things to grasp when a leader is a steward is that stewardship involves a commitment to, and responsibility for the vision, but it does not mean that the leader owns it. Leaders learn to see their vision as part of something larger.

“Leader as teacher” is not about “teaching” people how to achieve their vision. It is about fostering learning, for everyone. Such leaders help people throughout the organization develop systemic understandings.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm