The E-Learner

Issue No. 19

Published by

© European Consortium for the Learning Organisation.

All rights reserved.

Welcome to the nineteenth edition of The E-Learner, ECLO's electronic newsletter for members.

As always, we welcome contributions from members, as it is impossible to keep on top of the wealth of information on the World Wide Web on topics of interest to you all.

For your ongoing reference The E-Learner will be archived in the members' zone of our web site.

Editor:

BRIAN TAYLOR

Editorial

This issue we have the opportunity to reflect on the feedback from the Lisbon Conference, since ECLO Member Ole Hinz, who facilitated the session along with Tim Andrews, has kindly provided us with the various responses to the questions raised.

In true Ole style we were all obliged to search our ‘inner souls’ to find answers that elude mere mortals in the ‘hum-drum’ of their daily lives. The session started with an Ole Conundrum "What we don’t know ?". Who knows what we don’t know ? Well, Ole knows "We know nothing", when comparing, ‘What you know what you know’ to ‘that which you clearly don’t know !’ Still with us ?

At this point I was asking myself, "Who am I, but a passing breeze in the galaxy of life", but the best was yet to come. From this mystic perspective, we were about to experience an enlightening response from an audience, clearly captivated by the question set out in this issue.

Regulars, such as Honey and Gurteen, together with a brief Web Flash and Horror Scope for all Cancerians make up this addition. E-Learner takes a short break to allow my ‘creative’ juices to re-generate, but I shall return on the 1^st September 2001. Contributions on "Holiday Hazards", would be most welcome for the next issue of E-Learner. Sorry for all you people suffering with the Balearics ! …………………………….(News Flash ! Coach Drivers strike in Spanish Islands)

Lisbon Conference Proposition:

‘Learning Organisations on Learning Organisations’

HERE IS THE ‘BIG’ QUESTION put to the LISBON CONFERENCE

Today we are facing a "Knowledge Society" and a "New Economy". In spite of the fact that "Knowledge" is a concept, that appeals to people in "Stock and Logistics Operations" and to

IT-people with their brilliant machines and that &q potential.

It is generally accepted that there is more to the organisation than just the organisation chart, the job descriptions etc., which we would characterise as the formal organisation.

There is also the "Shadow System": that which is not in the formal plans: gossip, mutual help, small talk, scheming and also all the marvellous contributions that employees make every day without the boss's knowing. And maybe organisations often survive - not in spite of, but because of - their shadow systems. Informal working communities and networks, trusting relationships, mutual caring and more loyalty towards the business itself than towards certain managers.

We also know that there is such a thing as tacit knowing: knowing what we hardly know that we know (how do you ride a bicycle?). Thus we know more than we can tell. Organisations are of course full of it. All the stuff in the brains of the workers, specialists, leaders, managers - the way they do things, their hunches, intuitions, strange habits.

So we know there is a great world consisting of a shadow system and an enormous body of individual and collective tacit knowing.

We don't exactly know how these two are related.

And it becomes much worse: we know that our consciousness can process about 16 bits per second and that our brain receives about 11 mio. bits per second. (That’s very fast , phew !!!!)

What the hell happens to the 10.999.984? Could some of them lead to lasting changes in brain

patterns ? Learning ? Sure, something must change !

You have just met………………………………

Hidden learning

Which is situated in the individual brain and body.

However many of us are probably convinced that it is possible to talk about organisational learning too. A complex "system" of several human brains can form a learning unit.

(Think of a soccer team).

So: is there such a thing as ………………..

Hidden Organisational Learning ? (Think about this unconsciously please)

We will ask persons who are inclined to answer "NO" not to join in this session !

The issue then will be:

In which way and to what extent are organisations involved in "Hidden Organisational Learning?"

As "Hidden Organisational Learning" may constitute more than 99% of all Organisational Learning: how do we utilise and manage this enormous potential ? And how can we avoid that the one % overt Organisational Learning that we can manage, is not sabotaged or defeated by the "Hidden Organisational Learning?".

Some sub questions arise:

• What is the role - if any - of attitudes and feelings? IQ and EQ: (emotional intelligence).
• The role of blocks to learning. Resistance to change. Defence mechanisms. If they are unconscious, then what ?

• Can company culture be used ? How is it established and can we tap into it ? How ?
• Is a company maybe most of all a number of entities - villages - communities of practise - that are loosely coupled systems. Each with their own conscience - and culture ?
• Or maybe a community of communities ?
• Are strong cultures - and maybe the only real cultures - local village cultures ? While top-down imposed cultures and values tend to create resistance. How do we avoid sub-optimisation ?
• If "Learning to Learn" is the jewel in the learning crown - is it possible to establish this ability in the sub-consciousness of the group - department - village – community ?
• If organisations love to learn – what prevents the learning taking place?
• There must be "Good Learning" and "Bad Learning". Is it possible (how ?) to secure or at least make room for the former and defeat the latter?

("Bad Learning" cou

Overleaf are the various GROUP RESPONSES ( Pages 4 to 8 ):-

Response from Barbara De Micheli’s Group

Response from Brian Taylor’s Group

1. Better understanding (Wisdom)

   • ---

     Tacit knowledge and understanding
   • Invisible practice and understanding
   • Hidden values & beliefs
   • We wear a ‘Mask’ in life
   • Reflections and Remembrance

1. ---

   ---

   Caring & Sharing
2. Community xx - don't know what xx don't know (Curiosity)

 

Organisational Design (Safe)

 

3. Tracking tools

(Instruments)

4. Admissions of "Don't know" (Vision)

 

 

5. Who does what? (Ownership)

---

 

QUESTION: In which way and to what extent are organisations …………….. involved in hidden organisational learning ?

Any queries then, click on > Brian Taylor b.taylor@haroldnet.org

Response from Anthony Felstead’s Group

Reader are advised to ‘Print’ this page, in order to obtain a clearer definition of this very informative diagram produced by Anthony’s Group.

&nb exactly that.

It may be difficult to draw a simple conclusion in a convergent way of speaking. Rather the papers trigger a more divergent way of thinking, broadening out a landscape of possibilities and opportunities.

Not being a Researcher myself I nevertheless figure that here is a situation that will occur in all research projects: how to find structure, patterns of meaning in the enormous amount of data.

My own ideas for solutions were a bit traditional, but I add them anyway:

Possible Answers

1. Milton Erickson: Be as indirect as possible. Give the sub-consciousness possibilities. Bypass the defence mechanisms

2. Give room for "Communities of Practise"

3. Be "The Good Example"

4. Create Positive Rumours

I am extremely convinced that the issue itself is crucial. Authors like John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid ("The Social Life of Information") and von Krogh, Ichijo and Nonaka ("Enabling Knowledge Creation") both year 2000, stress the importance of the social and tacit side of knowledge and learning. So pretty clever people - like us – this means that IT is not everything.

"Communities of Practise", "Self Organising Teams" and the like are very sexy ways of producing learning and innovation.

My own favourite writer is Polanyi, who in 1966 stated about this: "The more explicit knowledge you have, the more tacit knowledge you need to make the shit function.!" ("The Tacit Dimension", reprinted 1983).

I would like to suggest the following:

1. We all use the papers as inspiration and idea reservoir in our work. It may add a dimension and remind us of what we tacitly know !
2. Some of us may want to look at it to see if we can reveal secrets. Is there a pattern here ? Can anything be generalised ? Does it remind us of something ?

Then we could mail each other - and who knows - build ideas together.

So the ball is back in everybody's garden, let us see if it grows !

Thank you for your creative cooperation, maybe we should soon talk again !!

Here are just a few ‘TAME’ ECLO CONFERENCE DELEGATES, representing nations, such as Sweden, Italy, U.K., Denmark, Belgium and Portugal. They don’t bite !, so give it a go :-

Ole Hinz, click on > kio@mpi.dk

Anthony Felstead, click on > anthony.felstead@hampshire.businesslink.co.uk

Marc Alen, click on > m_alen@arboth.com

Tim Andrews, click on > http://www.peterhoney.com ,or if you are looking for a more ‘Stateside’ perspective, click on http://www.dale-carnegie.com and test yourself on issues, such as "Are you a Workaholic ?" or the "Level of your Work Stress ?"

Horror Scope – a light hearted look at Astrology; as a Business Tool

Cancer ECLO Member [The Crab] – [Born between 21 June to 22 July)

Positive:

• Tenacious (Like a Jack Russell breed of dog ! )
• Shrewd and Intuitive (Watch your pockets ! )
• Kind (Nice ! )
• Compassionate (Very Nice ! )
• Domesticated (Has a flat head from excessive adulations ! )
• Good Memory (Your ‘card’ may be marked ! )
• Helpful and Caring (A Creep ! )
• Sensitive to need (Brinkley ! )
• Protective (Like a dog with a bone ! )

Negative:

• Possessive (Name tag inside collar of shirt or blouse ! )
• Too easily hurt (Try – Your Fire ! Flush ‘em out )
• Moody (Who says I’m fat ! )
• Crabby (Handle with Care ! )
• Matriarchal (Bit of a premadona ! )
• Hold on to insults (Bares a grudge ! )
• Selfish and Manipulative (Watch your back ? )
• Introspective (Contemplates his or her own navel ! )
• Overpowering (A bit of a bully ! )

 

This month’s prediction for all you Cancerians:-

"You'll have lots of ideas and plenty to say this month as you chatter your way into every conversation going on around you. You will be overflowing with opinions, suggestions and tit-bits of information that no one else will know. Stand tall and take the podium its time to be a contributor" (Now, there’s a novelty !)

Editors Comment: Apparently Cancerians are hard on the outside and soft in the centre, so if someone in your workplace spends a lot of time smashing the place up, then retiring into the corner to cry about it – you’ve spotted a Cancerian. Try to keep about 5 metres away from Cancerians at all times. The only time you should move inside this extended ‘Comfort Zone’, is when you fall in love with one, but you have to understand it is a one-way ticket. It is little bit like our relationship with ‘gravity’, what would we do without it ? In the wider galaxy Cancerians, are the ‘Cling-Ons’ (from Star Wars) .

The Gurteen Knowledge Letter

Motivating Knowledge Workers

Getting people to use a Knowledge Management System - have you ever noticed the language that is used - questions such as:

"How do we make people use this system?" and

"How do we make people have to try to "MAKE" anyone do anything!

Need to know more, click on > http://www.gurteen.com

People Potential

The impact made by people in organisations is of paramount importance. Slowly, albeit very slowly this is being realised.

In September and November of this year, Unicom Seminars in the UK are running a week long "People Potential Series". Day long seminars and workshops include:

+ Leading from the Inside with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) by Garry Ingram

+ The Effective Knowledge Worker by David Gurteen

+ New Rules for New Leadership by Mike Bagshaw

+ Emotional Intelligence in Business by Garry Ingram

+ Meeting the Challenge of Change by Sheila Moorcroft

+ Changing the Way we Change by John Bristow

+ Appreciative Inquiry By Lara Friedman

Go take a look!

People Potential Series I:

http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X000A47DE?open&r=3&p=2215

People Potential Series II

http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X000A47E2?open&r=3&p=2215

Web Flash from Marchmont

Best e-learning provider

e-Commerce Comparative Review

In their latest Comparative Review, they analyse introductory e-commerce courses with a business (rather than an IT) approach. To select the courses in this Comparative Review, they looked for publishers that did not demand too much prior knowledge of the Web, offered a broad overview of e-commerce, and covered enough material to enable you to ask. Read the full Review, click on > www.lguide.com/index.cfm?item_id=5648

The Differences between You and Your Boss ( Perspectives )

When you take a long time, you're slow, but when your boss takes a long time, they’re thorough.

When you don't do it, you're lazy, but when your boss doesn't do it, they’re too busy.

When you make a mistake, you're an idiot, but when your boss makes a mistake, they’re only human.

When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority, but your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.

When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed, but when the boss does it, then it’s being firm.

When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude, but when your boss skips a few rules, they’re being original.

When you please your boss, you're ‘sucking up’, but when the boss pleases their boss, they’re being co-operative.

When you're out of the office, you're wandering around, but when your boss is out of the office, they’re on business.

When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick, but when your boss has a day off sick, they are must ‘very ill’.

When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview, but when the boss applies for leave, it's because they’re overworked.