Developing A Culture of Learning
I will never forget the first time I learned about what it means to have a Learning Organization and Peter M. Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline, The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization.” I was completely blown away! The principles were amazing. I learned great tools and what I and each of us could do to foster a culture of learning. The referral to get the book was given to me by one of my greatest supervisors who was a disciplined systems theorists to the core and one of the most I think prolific leaders of his time, and I was already learning a lot! The following pages I hope, will transform your approach to your work, and be a reminder for the things we can sometimes easily forget. These are summaries. References to the books and other works will follow.
“Managers’ fundamental task, according to O’Brien, is providing the enabling conditions for people to lead the most enriching lives they can.” (Peter Senge 1990 quoting Bill O’Brien president of Hanover Insurance. No pun intended!).
What does it take? Peter Senge’s book, “The Fifth Discipline” describes four disciplines that work together, with systems theory to support the conditions for a learning organization.
What I love about his work is that throughout, it does not force a concept, or imply in any way that we can actually make people do anything. Creating the conditions for which these disciplines and other concepts he discusses can emerge and be applied to create the outcomes you would like to see in the company is key.
These concepts encourage the continual work that can be done, everyday to lay the foundation for great work to be done, and actually get to achieve the goals you set out to achieve. You can’t put the books down and he gives you freedom, in fact encourages you to move to around chapters you like or need, something that took discipline from me because my “mental model” tells me to read things from the front to back. This beautifully written book describes these disciplines, and to me, some steps that can lead to a healthy organization by speaking to “Systems Theory” (and other areas) which I’ve summarized below:
Systems Theory – has been around for a long time and describes the way in which everything is interrelated. It is the cornerstone of Senge’s work and all the other disciplines depend upon it. Systems Theory’s looks at the whole of a thing, the gestalt of it, and how each part will and does have an effect on something else. When we think in terms of systems, or systemically we are able to more clearly see and learn, through examination of ourselves, the part we and others play in something. We can see how a particular function might have an effect on a thing.
This ability to see the whole, break it down into parts and see the influence of each of these areas at work gives us tremendous insight and ability to effect change, see the larger picture or effects of something, and help us get to the achieving part of the result we’re looking for. When systems theory is combined with the other disciplines, it has a way of putting together a theoretical framework from which to work, an action, a practicality, as in really doing, the work, based on an assessment or closer to an accurate read of a thing. In the Fifth Discipline, Systems Theory is the Fifth (5th) Discipline, as all others will not function without there being a fusion with it.
The other core disciplines, Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Building a Shared Vision and Team Building again, alongside Systems Theory, when integrated can lead to a Learning Organization, or the conditions for which a Learning Organization can exist. Before diving further into the principles, Senge defines a Learning Organization:
Learning Organizations – are, “Organizations where people continually expand their capacity to increase the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.” (Senge 1990) He further asserts…
“Learning organizations are possible because, deep down, we are all learners…Learning organizations are possible because not only is it our nature to learn but we love to learn. Most of us at one time or another have been part of a great ‘team,’ a group of people who functioned together in an extraordinary way-who trusted each one another, who complemented each others’ strengths and compensated for each others’ limitations, who had common goals that were larger than the individual goals, and who produced extraordinary results. I have met many people who have experienced this sort of profound teamwork-in sports, or in the performing arts or in business. Many say they have spent much of their life looking for that experience again. What they experienced was a learning organization. The team that became great didn’t start off great-it learned how to produced extraordinary results.” (Senge 1990).
Personal Mastery – “Organizations learn only through individuals who learn.” This has everything to do with the discipline involved in personal growth and learning. Most people with high levels of personal mastery continuously expand their capacity to achieve the goals they pursue according to Senge. It’s from this yearning that the “spirit” of a learning organization is derived. It goes beyond skill building and gaining competencies, though that is super important, to “life as a creative work, living life from a creative as opposed to reactive viewpoint.” He (Senge 1990) further states: “When personal mastery becomes an activity we integrate into our lives-it embodies two underlying movements. The first is continuously clarifying what is important to us. We often spend too much time coping with problems along our path that we forget why we are on that path in the first place. The result is we only have a dim, or even inaccurate, view of what’s really important to us. The second is continually learning how to see current reality more clearly” (Senge 1990).
Senge continues to describe the psychology behind personal mastery and what it means for people who see the distance between their current reality and what they want. He calls this juxtaposition a “Creative Tension” a force that brings or constantly calls for them to be brought together. A true look at reality and where one is in relation to what they want acts as nourishment for people to go after what they really want, if they’re really looking at reality. O’Brien asserts that lots of people have no trouble merging these two areas of activities outside of work and believes if more people did they would have more personal fulfillment. The person(s) at work who practice this, and practice is encouraged, are according to Senge, “committed” with a “special purpose that lies behind their vision and goals…are deeply inquisitive and feel connected to others and to life itself.” They feel connected to a a larger picture, that they can influence, not control, never give up their uniqueness and see their ignorance, incompetence, areas for growth and still remain confident because they see the “journey as the reward.” Why is this important? It can be applied to life and The Journey of Living. The continuous strive to do better. Match what we want with reality. In work, in social services, caregiver roles, or any discipline really, people want to perform at their best. They want for their performance to be as good as where their hearts are. This is the first of Senge’s core principles and an excellent place to start!