LLC: A Case Study of Org. Learning - LLC Review

LLC: A Case Study of Organizational Learning at EDS

Chapter Two, Leading Learning Communities Review

The Competitive Advantage of the Next Century

Leading Learning Communities was initiated as a joint effort between the Organizational Center for Learning at MIT and EDS. The effort was focused on the modification of a culture, within EDS, that would allow EDS to become a learning organization. In this chapter we will explore the concepts and process known today as LLC. LLC is the brain child of Fred Kofman, Ph.D., Director of LLC at the Organizational Learning Center. Dr. Kofman states that LLC attempts to bring about organizational change through the personal transformation of individuals. LLC through its efforts to change people, one at a time, can ultimately impact the culture of the organization. 2 He acknowledges that while this is difficult, it may be the most effective way to truly bring about sustainable organizational change. LLC is predicated on a set of values that promote compassion, humility and love. Kofman defines compassion as the belief that people do their best according to their mental models, humility is the recognition that our mental models are merely a piece of an infinitely larger body of knowledge and love is the fundamental respect for another human being. 3 Kofman states these values are fundamental elements of a learning organization and can not be dictated from the leadership of the company, but rather "...must come from the hearts of the individuals within the organization." The theory continues that once these qualities exist within an individual, he or she is able to create an environment conducive to learning that will extend from the individual to the team, from one team to another team and ultimately to the whole organization. 4 The theory further espouses that one can only change oneself and how one reacts to others and can not change other individuals. The following sections of this chapter will provide the reader with a better understanding of the philosophy and methodology of LLC.

Learning Organizations and LLC

Learning Organizations, as defined in Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline, are "... organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people are continually learning how to learn together." 5 A learning organization continuously expands its capacity to create its future. At the center of the learning organization are the relationships that exist within its' members. Relationships between people create an energy that does not exist within an individual. Relationships in a learning environment are developed to the point of sharing responsibility. The individuals who enter into these relationships continually inquire into the thinking of each other, each remaining open to the further expansion of the concept or idea. The inquiry is not always a pleasant, joyful experience, for in order to learn, one must challenge the limits of where one has gone before. The relationships which exist within the learning organization are the impetus to move to a new level of understanding and ultimately to use this knowledge or output to achieve the organization's goals.

LLC provides the methodology and principles to create a foundation on which a learning organization can be built. LLC is about enhancing the capacity for relationships, which are critical to the ability of an individual to learn. Organizations learn only through the experience and actions of the individuals that comprise the organization. 7

Gary Hamel, London Business School, and C. K. Prahalad, University of Michigan, talk about core competencies of organizations and the critical role they play in sustaining the success of organizations. Much has been written about organizational learning being a competency necessary for companies to have in order to thrive in the competitive global marketplace. LLC develops the core competencies of individuals, whereby they have the capacity to build learning relationships with others and ultimately help change a company into a learning organization.

Transformational Learning

"Learning", as defined by John Dewey, "is a continual process of discovering insights, inventing new possibilities for action, producing the actions and observing the consequences leading to insights." 9 Transactional learning is focused on creating or learning a body of information or knowledge. Fundamental to this premise is the belief that information is knowledge and can be passed from one person to another. Transformational learning is a paradigm shift. It invites the student to explore their mental models, their values, beliefs and experiences, and to see how they use their mental models to make assumptions and then react to the situation as they have perceived it. Transformational learning, as utilized in LLC, creates pattern interrupts, causing students to create a different response. Information is not the intended output of LLC transformational learning, but rather the desired result is that the participants increase their capacity for action. This happens as participants are challenged to let go of their old model of the world and to become flexible and accepting of change. There is an internal change in the individual whereby they value learning as opposed to knowledge. "Transformational learning is a continuous cycle of discovery, invention, production and reflection." 10

The individual is the focus of the transformational process. Transformation is a journey of exploration. As stated earlier, LLC is based on the premise that organizational change takes place through personal intervention. An LLC participant has only the responsibility to change their own behaviors. The exhibition of these new behaviors and attitudes invites others to build and participate in relationships in ways previously unattainable. These new relationships, based on the LLC values, which will be discussed shortly, are the embryonic matter of a learning organization. The impact is like a ripple in a pond, the ripple eventually covers the entire surface. Individuals skilled in the core competencies of LLC become enzymes within their environments. LLC draws a very strong distinction between enzymes and change agents. A change agent, or catalyst of change, has the mission of changing others or to cause a change in a process. A change enzyme, however, always operates from within and while being the instigator of change, will also be changed in the process. In effect an enzyme is transformed into something different.

LLC Values and Tools

According to Kofman, there are six basic values or virtues as the roots of LLC which are fundamental to creation of the relationships that build a learning community. He indicates these six building blocks are most easily thought of in pairs: humility and wonder, empathy and compassion and authenticity and love. He describes them as follows: Humility is the acceptance of the fact that our mental models are not ultimate truths, but merely a representation of our individual culture and past experiences and wonder is the desire to push beyond our existing models. Empathy and compassion instill, within the participant, the realization that every individual does the best they can given their assumptions and mental models and that one must always listen in an empathetic and compassionate manner. Authenticity and love are taught as the ability to be fully present and engaged in the conversation and to accept oneself and others as legitimate beings "just the way they are".

LLC is designed to be a practice field. It is a safe place were participants can explore and practice the values defined above as well as other concepts and tools taught in the program. A practice field is a safe environment where individuals and teams go to experiment and try new things. It is a haven where it is "OK" to make a mistake and where one learns from his or her mistakes. Practice is a basic requirement for a team that wishes to improve upon its performance, whether it be a football team, an orchestra or a business team. LLC is also designed to operate as a community. Participants and facilitators learn together as they explore their mental models of themselves and the world.

LLC has several tools which are taught to the participants. Through these transformational learning tools the participants develop new behaviors that support team learning. They learn to be inquisitive and draw out information and perspectives from others as opposed to relying on their old mental models. They learn the difference between observation and assessments based on their own mental models. They learn role play skills. A check-in and check-out philosophy is utilized during the LLC process to allow participants to be "fully present" in the meetings they attend. The check-in, check-out process is intended to create a more productive environment. Check-in's are done at the start of the meeting and is an invitation for the meeting participants to share, with the group, what is on their mind. The theory holds that by bringing issues into the open and acknowledging their existence, you free your mind from distraction and allow the member to be "fully engaged" in the present meeting. 13 By becoming tool users the participants are able to derive self respect from learning as opposed to the traditional management paradigm that a good manager "knows" the answer. They use the tools to continue their own self transformation and to help in the transformational learning of others in their organizations.

Transformational Learning Tools

Beginners Mind.

Approach every situation with the assumption that there is something you can learn from it. View disagreements as treasures that can open windows into different reasoning processes.

Fluid Framing.

Recognize that the way we interpret an event or situation is only one of many possibilities. Explore alternative logic for diverse points of view.

Observation and Assessment Differentiation.

Distinguish observations (witnessable data) from assessments (subjective interpretations); do not treat opinions as indisputable facts.

Advocacy/Inquiry.

Share your data and reasoning so that others understand your logic. Inquire into others' data and reasoning so that you understand their logic.

Commitment Conversations.

Create and sustain a context of trust and internal commitment. Coordinate actions through effective requests, offers, and promises. Deal constructively with breakdowns through complaints and apologies that preserve relationships and correct mistakes.

Shared Context.

Use dialogue to explore diverse perspectives, create common understanding, and negotiate parameters for future conversations.

Verbal Aikido.

Respond to challenges and negative assessments by blending with and redirecting their energy with harmony.

Check-in and Check-out.

Take time at the beginning and end of meetings to say a few words about what is on your mind and become present. Bring concerns and issues into the open.

Role-Play.

Adopt another person's position to understand his or her view or put yourself in an imaginary situation to speculate concretely on what you might say or do.

System Mapping.

Use casual loop diagrams to map the systemic consequences of alternate policies.

The Ladder of Inference.

Reverse the unconscious process through which we select a subset of observations, add meanings and draw conclusions to explore how this is conditioned by the beliefs, assumptions, and values of our mental model.

Congruence between Private and Public Conversations.

Process your automatic assessments in a way that they can be shared without damaging a relationship. Make dilemmas discussible.

Training Structure

The LLC training was set up in modules of training, practice and reflection. The formal program studied in this thesis was an eight-month program which included three full weeks of training, two, two-day clinics, homework assignments, study team meetings, business projects and routine discussions with coaches and champions. The week-long training sessions were scheduled as the initial section of the program, a week in month four and the third week was the final conference of the program. The two-day clinics were placed midway between training weeks one and two and training weeks two and three. Effectively, the participants came together as a full learning community every two months during the course of the program. The program was taught by Kofman and his team of facilitators. The students were exposed to new material during the five day sessions and then returned to their home environments to practice. Individuals were members of teams and these teams studied together and supported each other. All participants had coaches who were schooled in the concepts of LLC and provided support and counsel. The participants interacted with the coaches at a minimum of once every other week. The two day clinics were strategically placed to provide an opportunity for the participants to come together to share their experiences and reflect on their practices. The course also required that participants work on one or more business projects. Most projects were worked on by a team of participants. This helps the participants practice direct application of the tools in a business case. The teams themselves provided opportunities, or a practice field to further the transformational learning in a supportive environment.

This chapter provided a brief overview of the concepts and ideas fundamental to the LLC project as implemented by EDS.

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Acknowledgements

The authors hereby grant to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document whole or in part.

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