LLC: A Case Study of Organizational Learning at EDS

Chapter One, Introduction

An Invitation to Learn

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We ventured into this thesis quite ignorant to what we were about to experience. We "thought" we were "after the fact" observers to an organizational change project. We viewed our role as one of reporting and documenting someone else's change. As we talked with the individuals who participated in the change project and those around them, we became thoroughly engaged in the subject matter we were studying, a project called Leading Learning Communities. Much to our own surprise, we believe we have been influenced and changed as a result of our intervention in "someone else's" change effort. Although, we did not participate in the training and we certainly do not profess to have profound knowledge, our "beginners' minds" have been awakened and our mental models have been altered.

It is our hope, as writers of this thesis, that if we are effective in telling the story of what has transpired at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in their Leading Learning Communities (LLC) program you, the reader, will also be influenced and be more knowledgeable about the concepts of organizational learning. We invite you to learn, as we learned, as we now describe and explore the LLC program, the LLC processes and the outcomes of LLC.

This thesis is part of a structured thesis initiative sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Organizational Learning. The intent of the structured thesis effort was to study major change initiatives at several corporations. The research efforts at the various companies looked at the same basic parameters so that lessons learned from these various studies could be shared with others. It was our good fortune to be linked with EDS and the LLC project. This linkage was more an outcome of luck than astute planning on our part.

The thesis is a descriptive narrative of EDS' use of the Leading Learning Communities project to affect a cultural change within their organization. The change is being driven by the highest levels of management in EDS. EDS' motivation is one of competitive advantage. Marsha Clark, Director of Leadership Development for EDS, stated the top leadership of EDS strongly believes that members of EDS need to learn faster than those in other organizations in order to be a "defining entity" and that people, through learning, are a sustainable advantage. She explains a "defining entity" to be a company that is the recognized leader in their respective industry. In the opinion of EDS' top management, if you have to react to the competitive environment, it is too late, you must consistently be the "definitive entity" in your sector.

Clark, defines organizational learning as "...the capacity (of the organization) to regenerate itself, basically learning to learn..." EDS, in an effort to change the culture of the organization, initiated a pilot program with Dr. Fred Kofman, Director of Leading Learning Communities at the Organizational Learning Center of MIT. Fred Kofman designed LLC to address the very issue EDS was exploring. LLC is about learning to learn as a collective of people and as individuals. Kofman believes that organizations need to endorse learning as a capability they can develop and benefit from. 1

The following chapters in this thesis walk the reader through the theory of LLC, the research methods used, a history lesson about EDS, the various process steps of the LLC pilot program at EDS, an analysis section and the conclusion. The process steps covered are the historical context of EDS that led to LLC, how EDS's strategy and LLC are linked, selection and preparation of the individuals and Strategic Units that embarked on the LLC journey, the implementation of LLC and a discussion of outcomes. Chapter Eleven is devoted to general lessons and discussion of key topics that we, the researchers, felt were significant. And lastly, every good story needs an ending, and hence, the conclusion.

As we stated earlier, we invite you to keep reading and to learn as we did. LLC helps people discover a new dimension: how they can work with others and achieve what were previously thought unattainable goals, by opening up themselves to see possibilities and to build relationships that allow the energy between people to combust. We may not have an explosive reaction as you read this paper, but perhaps a spark will ignite...

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