ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Darren Varnado, M.P.A

Agenda

Introduction – Why Are We Here?

Learning Environment Concepts

Introduce David Garvin Video

Going Forward

Why is this important?

Healthy learning environments… Garner independent thought Increase ability to manage change Improve quality Develop a more committed work force Give people hope that things can get better Stretch perceived limits Are in touch with a fundamental part of being

human…the need to learn, to improve our environment and to be active actors, not passive recipients

(Karash 1995)

Peter Drucker, 1946

“Any institution has to be organized so as to bring out the talent and capabilities within the organization; to encourage men to take initiative, give them a chance to show what they can do, and a scope within which to grow.”

What can I expect?

How do we get from here…

….To here?

Incremental Progress…

One Step at a Time

Learning Organization DefinedA learning organization is one that… seeks to create its own future; assumes learning is an ongoing and creative

process; one that develops, adapts and transforms

itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people both inside and outside itself

Kenneth Johnson, 1993

David Garvin, Harvard BusinessAbout the video… Presentation on Learning Organizations

to the Wildland Fire Community. Substitute “Child Protection” anytime

Garvin refers to firefighting. Delay between video and sound

AAR’s

After Action Reviews An AAR is a professional discussion of an event, focused on performance standards,

that enables soldiers to discover for themselves What happened, Why it happened and How to sustain strengths and improve on weaknesses.

It is a tool leaders and units can use to get maximum benefit from every mission or task.

OBJECTIVE is to improve individual and collective task performance by providing immediate feedback about how the training or tasks could have been done better.

PURPOSE Guide the unit towards achieving training objectives Identify lessons learned so they can be applied to subsequent training or task

performance Increase confidence in unit leaders Increase proficiency of all participants

Army Study Guide

Think About

Does this sound familiar in our work in child protection?

Ask yourself this question….

Does my organization continually make the same

mistakes?

If so, Why?

3 Building Blocks to An Effective Learning Organization

Leadership that reinforces learning

Concrete Learning Processes – in place and regularly reviewed

Supportive Learning Environment – Learning Culture

Question…

Does my organization support or suppress learning?

Important Points

You don’t only learn from the worst cases

You often learn more from the close calls

Learning is an investment

The most powerful learning is TIMELY – just in time

BUILDING BLOCK #1Leadership That

Reinforces Learning

Willingness to entertain other points

of view

Spends time on problem

ID

Encourages and models transfer of learning

Values time for

reflection

Engages in active

questioning and listening

Generates open-

minded discussion

Learning Org Building BlocksDavid Garvin, Harvard Professor

BUILDING BLOCK #2Concrete Learning

Processes

Generating and

disseminating

information

Experimenting with new

ideas

Gathering info on

technological trends and innovations

Identifying and solving problems

Providing professional

growth opportunities

Developing Staff Skills

The agency

has form

al

process

es

for….

Learning Org Building BlocksDavid Garvin, Harvard Professor

Learning Org Building BlocksDavid Garvin, Harvard Professor

BUILDING BLOCK #3A Supportive Learning

Environment(Organizational Culture)

Staff feels safe

disagreeing with others

Staff own up to mistakes

Staff recognize

the value of opposing

ideas

Staff take risks and

explore the unknown

Staff takes time to

review org. processes

Staff listen to minority viewpoints

Discussion

How well equipped are you and your staff in “knowing what to do?”

Are you and your staff “doing what you know?”

If not, Why?

Important Thought…

The urgent often drives out the important

Important Thought…

Unanticipated consequences are not mistakes

In child welfare, there are often consequences that are not within our span of control

Question….

Is my organization transferring knowledge effectively from division to division, unit to

unit, person to person?

Important Point…

Learning must be clearly aligned with the goals of the

organization.

Clear Vision, Mission and Goals

Critical Task of a Learning Org… Collect intelligence about the

environment Learn from the best practices of other

organizations – benchmarking Learn from its own experiences and

history Experiment with new approaches Encourage systematic problem solving Transfer knowledge throughout the

organization

Discussion

What are the characteristics of a learning culture?

What kinds of behaviors are required in an effective learning culture?

Which of these are most difficult to cultivate in a child welfare agency?

Important Thoughts…

Mistakes are an opportunity to learn

“Good decisions come from wisdom knowledge and experience. Wisdom, knowledge and experience most often come from bad decisions”

We learn the most from our mistakes.

Question…

Does your organization have a “blame culture”?

Learning “Trilogy”

Training Practice Execution

Does your organization allow for practice and feedback on new knowledge and skills?

Quote…

“We have met the enemy, and it is us”

Benchmarking – Learning from Others

Benchmarking as copying – practices that can easily be copied from other organizations

Benchmarking as a catalyst for creative thinking

Leading Learning

Openness to new perspectives Awareness of personal biases Exposure to unfiltered data A sense of humility

Tools for Building a Learning Org…Peter Senge – The 5th Discipline Fieldbook

Personal Mastery Individual committed to lifelong learning

Dialogue Looking at our thoughts from a distance – stepping

back outside of ourselves Shared Vision

What do we want to create? Provides focus and energy

Team Learning Having a goal in mind and working to attain it.

Systems Thinking Ability to see the big picture Going from blaming to owning

Dr. Joyce Wycoff, Transformation Thinking

“An organization can’t transform itself until it transforms thinking. Thinking within an organization is defined as the mental activity of every member of the organization…all the idea generation, learning and skill development, exchange of information, development of strategic directions, project planning, communication, market research, problem-solving, process improvement and quantum leaps that make up the total intellectual activity of the organization.”

The Challenge

Why is all this so difficult to do?

WE ARE HUMAN!!!

FEELINGS

RELATIONSHIPS

OPINIONSVALUES

BELIEFS

WORLD VIEW

There’s NO Silver Bullet….It’s Hard Work

5 Aspects to Address:1. Structure Aspect– distinguishing the difference

between learning by the organization and learning in the organization. What does the structure need to look like to facilitate success?

2. Culture Aspect – what are the normative beliefs and behaviors that will generate productive learning

3. Psychological Aspect – the extent to which individuals buy into the normative behaviors

4. Policy Aspect – specifies how organizational learning will be facilitated.

5. Contextual Aspect – specifies features of the environment that promote or inhibit organizational learning

Lipshitz, Popper and Friedman

As an individual ask yourself… How am I contributing POSITIVELY to the

learning environment in my leadership? How am I contributing NEGATIVELY to the

learning environment in my leadership? Am I leading in a way facilitates a

learning culture? How can I put into action agency

processes that support a learning culture?

Learning Environment AssessmentHarvard Business Learning Organization Assessment