3 Structures for a Learning Organization

You can do a lot of stuff trying to make your work better and still not be very effective overall. The only sustainable kind of organization is a learning organization. 

You can start to build a learning organization with just 3 lean systems.  These 3 systems seem like they should be easy to do, but they are really pretty hard to do correctly. 

I'm talking about teams, standardized work, and learning circles.

Members of small teams learn more effectively from each other and reach higher levels of
expertise quickly.  Teams of 3 to 6 people with a team leader are able to establish supportive relationships that promote learning and development.

Standardized work is the primary vehicle for teaching work skills.  Too many people think standardized work is just about getting a work process documented.  The system works best when you focus on the learning benefits of having the people who do the work actually complete the analysis of the work and the documentation. 

They'll need some help from supporting staff like managers and engineers, but let them do it instead of having the support staff do it for them.

Learning circles, which we used to call Quality Circles, are exceptional learning groups when the focus is on learning and not on rushing to a solution. 

Here, you'll bring a small and cross-functional group of people together to solve a particular problem.  But it's not really the solution you are after...It's the learning that comes from going through the problem solving process.

If you've tried some of these but you aren't getting the results you expected, maybe a new perspective can help. 

Let's talk!  Click here to book a time to have a call with me.

Next Thursday, August 27, I'm offering a live short online learning experience (SOLX) - my
new term for a webinar - at 2:00 pm Eastern.   Register here.

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Have a great day!