This document discusses learning organizations and learning circles. It describes the benefits of learning organizations as driving innovation, responding to competition/pressures, connecting with customers, improving quality, and increasing pace of change. Key characteristics of learning organizations are systems thinking, personal mastery, shared mental models, shared vision, and team learning. Challenges to transforming include lack of time, help, problem solving ability, and awareness of problems. Learning circles are proposed as a model for education to create learning organizations, with characteristics like motivated participants, equality, facilitation, member-defined rules, momentum, and producing something together. The document provides an outline for a learning circle workbook.
2. Quick Bio:
10 years in business
development &
marketing
5 years of agile
experience
Mishkin Berteig, CST
Berteig Consulting
Chris Sims, CST
Agile Learning Labs
Autodesk
Stay-at-home Dad
11. Challenges in
transforming
to a Learning
Organization
People often do not have enough time
May not have help or training
Does not know how to solve its problems
Might not know what its problems are
Changes needed might appear irrelevant
13. LearningCircle
“A learning circle is a highly interactive,
participatory structure for organizing
group work. The goal is to build, share,
and express knowledge though a process
of open dialogue and deep reflection
around issues or problems with a focus on
a shared outcome.”
- Margaret Riel
14. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
15. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
16. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
17. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
18. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
All points of view encouraged
Respect others
Be on time
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
19. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
20. Characteristics
of Learning
Circles
1. Motivated participants
2. All members are equal
3. Facilitated, not led
4. Members define their own rules
5. Maintain momentum
6. Produce something together
Sound familiar? They’re the same benefits as Agile and Lean!
The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge proposed five disciplines for creating a learning organization1.Systems thinking: Organizations are a system of interrelationships. To become more successful we need to analyze these relationships and find the problems in them. This will allow an organization to eliminate the obstacles to learning2. Personal mastery: An individual holds great importance in a learning organization. Continuous self-improvement holds as much important as commitment and work for the organization. Employees need to grow and work on their own goals.3.Mental models: This is the company culture and the diverse theories and mindsets that serve as a framework for the functioning of the organization. Learning organizations look for how these affect organizational development.4. Shared vision: A learning organization's employees all share a common vision. Personal goals must be in sync with the goals and vision of the organization.5. Team learning: The importance of dialogue and group discussion. For a team to learn, they must be in sync and reach agreement.
Encourage systems thinkingOrganizations are a system of interrelationships. To become more successful we need to analyze these relationships and find the problems in them. This will allow an organization to eliminate the obstacles to learning
Personal mastery:An individual holds great importance in a learning organization. Continuous self-improvement holds as much importance as commitment and work for the organization. Employees need to grow and work on their own goals.
Mental models:This is the company culture and the diverse theories and mindsets that serve as a framework for the functioning of the organization. Learning organizations look for how these affect organizational development.
Shared vision:A learning organization's employees all share a common vision. Personal goals must be in sync with the goals and vision of the organization.
Team learning:The importance of dialogue and group discussion. For a team to learn, they must be in sync and reach agreement.
typical solutions: get training, get coachinglearning circle solution: seed knowledge at the grassroots through guidance contained in the learning circle, the workbooks, whatever people bring to the circletraining should be linked to business results so that it is easier for employees to connect the training with everyday issueslearning circle workbook can be co-created over time by the participants themselveshone in on solving the very real issues they face to make it practical
Learning circles can meet all the criteria above to create learning organization if it is the desire of the participantsI hypothesize that learning circles can replace traditional training in a learning organization
When momentum starts to wane, ask the group why. Perhaps it isn’t meeting their needs anymore. Don’t force it. Just wrap things up with gratitude for everyone’s contributions.
Have a set of SMART goals or something tangible that you’re producing as a groupThe workbook intends to bake this in by making people practice the Lean-Agile concepts they’re learning