Learning Organizations: the path to cultures that thrive

After graduate school as I began my career in the HR world, I was continuously involved in culture change initiatives. I noticed that resistance was the natural order of things for most employees, and communication from the top rarely survived intact as it cascaded down through the ranks.  I wanted to help make it better.

The answer came to me in an iconic book by Organizational Guru Peter Senge called The Fifth Discipline. Senge believed that the secret weapon of any organization was to establish it as a “learning organization.” That became the foundation for my subsequent work and continues to be my guiding framework to this day. 

You see, many of the challenges faced by organizations today stem from the under-utilization of their people. I recently read a statistic that over two-thirds of employees in our country do not like their work. Stress is the norm. Job satisfaction, pride, meaning, happiness (forget feeling joyful) have seemingly disappeared in the modern workplace. Outdated management practices including “command and control” mentality, silo-ed business functions, and unbalanced perspectives shut down the ingenuity and motivation of the workforce.

For many the response is to head out on their own, find their passion, and eke out a living.  Yet for many who lack the entrepreneurial gene, crave a more stable environment, a consistent tribe, and regular paychecks, that is not an option.

Too many organizations use efficiency models appropriate for machinery and spreadsheets to manage and organize the work of their employees. Things like poor communication practices, lack of clarity and clear expectations, and failure to practice accountability spiraled performance downward.  It does not need to be that way. 

After learning more about the brain and performance, I started working with Leaders to design successful organizational change and learning interventions.  Realizing the critical role of Leaders in any successful change, I focused on helping Leaders become more authentic, empathetic, and purposeful in their leadership.

Leaders at all levels became more engaged, they coached instead of commanded, and ultimately employee engagement increased. Our work created a ripple effect throughout the organization. 

LEARNING ORGANIZATIONSFEBRUARY 15, 2017