Gravin's article on learning organization HBR

1. BUILDING A LEARNING
ORGANIZATION
David A. Garvin

2. LEARNING ORGANIZATION
“A learning organization is an organization skilled at
creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at
modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and
insights”
“New ideas are essential if learning is to take place”
“Without accompanying changes in the way that work gets
done, only the potential for improvements exist”

3. ORGANIZATION AND
QUALITIES
♦ Meaning
– Plausible, well grounded definition, actionable
and easy to apply.
♦ Management
– Clear guidelines for practice, filled with
operational advice rather than high aspirations.
♦ Measurement
– Tools for assessing organizations rate and level
of learning to ensure gains have been made.

4. ORGANIZATION AND
QUALITIES
♦ Three distinct stages.
– Cognitive
• Exposed to new ideas, expand their knowledge and
begin to think differently.
– Behavioral
• Employees internalize new insights and alter
behavior.
– Performance Improvement
• Changes in behavior leading to measurable
improvements in results.

5. BUILDING BLOCKS
♦ Systematic Problem Solving
♦ Experimentation
♦ Learning from Past Experience
♦ Learning from others.
♦ Transferring knowledge
♦ Measuring learning
Each is accompanied by a distinctive mindset, tool
kit and pattern of behavior.

6. SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM
SOLVING
♦ Rely on scientific method for diagnosing
problems “plan, do, check, act”
♦ Data
♦ Statistical analysis
– Generating ideas and collecting information
– Reaching consensus
– Analyzing and displaying data
– Planning actions

7. EXPERIMENTATION
♦ On-going programs
– Series of small experiments
– Steady flow of new ideas
– Incentive system
– Need managers and employees trained in
evaluating and performing experiments

8. EXPERIMENTATION
♦ Demonstration Projects
– First projects to embody principles and
approaches company hopes to adopt on a larger
scale
– Establish policy guidelines and decision rules
for later projects
– Encounter severe tests of commitment from
employees (testing rule change)
– Limited impact on rest of organization (until
implemented)

9. LEARNING FROM PAST
EXPERIENCE
♦ Companies revive successes and failures.
♦ Assessment done systematically and in an
open and accessible forum
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it”

10. LEARNING FROM OTHERS
♦ “Most powerful insights come from looking
outside ones immediate environment to gain
a new perspective”
♦ SIS-Steal ideas shamelessly
♦ Benchmarking
– Ongoing investigation and learning experience
that ensures the best industry practices are
uncovered, analyzed, adapted and implemented.

11. TRANSFERRING
KNOWLEDGE
♦ Knowledge must be spread quickly and
efficiently throughout the organization
♦ Maximum impact when shared broadly
– Written reports
– Oral reports
– Site visits and tours
– Personnel rotation programs
– Standardization programs
– Education and training programs

12. MEASURING LEARNING
♦ “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage
it”
♦ Actual data comparision
♦ Learning or experience curves.
– Incomplete measures, ignore other competitive
variables, like quality, delivery or new product
introductions

13. CONCLUSION
♦ Learning organizations foster an
environment that is conducive to learning
♦ Learning organizations open up boundaries
and stimulate the exchange of ideas