SACI Southern Africa Capacity Initiative

Leading MDIs To become Innovativeand Learning Organizations

Dr. Roland Msiska

SACI Southern Africa Capacity Initiative

IntroductionWhat is organizational learning?

Why organizational learning?

How do organizations learn?

What is worldview, mindsets, paradigms, mentalmodels and how they relate to organizationallearning?

How do we go about introducing learning inMDIs?

How do we tell we are learning?

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What is organizational learning?

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Peter Senge Defines LearningOrganizations

“Organizations where people continuallyexpand their capacity to create theresults they truly desire, where newand expansive patterns of thinking arenurtured, where collective aspirationsis set free and where people arecontinually learning together”

Source: Senge Peter, The Fifth Discipline Doubleday, 1990

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Arie de Geus’ definition of learningorganization

Depends on organization’s sensitivityto the environment and adaptation ofactions.

Organization’s ability to learn, toexperiment, to continually explore newopportunities, to create new sources ofgrowth and wealth, and to change itsbehavior to fit what is happeningaround it.

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Why organizational learning?

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The changing global, regional and country levelsituation in terms of:

PoliticsEconomicsSocialTechnologyEnvironment.

The need to adapt the organization to thechanging context---here planning becomes anelement for individual and collective learning.

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How do organizations learn?

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Kees van der Heijden describes thestages of organizational learning

“Learning begins with observing what has occurred, we reflect onwhat has been observed and how it can be conceptualized, wemake an assessment as to the underlying structures that drive

thebehavior we observed and from this, we develop a theory as towhat is happening. This theory then influences the developmentof a response leading to the implementation of a suitable andappropriate actions in the form of new pattern of behavior. Theseactions set an expectation. However, invariably reality will

deviate,drawing our attention to what is different from our expectation.This starts the next iteration of the learning cycle...Organizationlearning occurs when the learning cycle is performed collectivelyin an organization….”

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Reflection(Thinking and Feeling)

DecisionAction

Experience

How We Learn As Individuals or as Groups?

Source: Peter Senge et Fifth Discipline Manual

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What is worldview, mindsets,paradigms, mental models and how

they relate to organizationallearning?

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The Philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) coined the termWeltanschauung or worldview which literally means a “look onto theworld”. It refers to a framework which an individual or group ofindividuals interprets the world and interact in it.

Learning organization(MIT) have popularized the term Mental model isa set of deep seated assumptions held by individuals or group thatinfluence they way we perceive reality and how respond to that reality.

Thomas Kuhn has popularized the term ‘paradigm shift’ representsthe notion of a major change in a certain thought pattern- a radicalchange in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizationsreplacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radicallydifferent way of thinking or organizing.

Mindset refers to a set of assumptions, methods or notations held byone or more people or groups of people which is so established that iscreates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continueto adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices or tools.

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Worldviews;Paradigms;Mental models;Mindsets;

are conceptual filters that provides us aframework to interpret complex reality in theworld and how to respond to it.

Have all in common thought patterns,assumptions which results in certain actions.

Learning will have taken place if one is able isto identify and change the thinking patterns andassumptions resulting in a certain behavior.

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How do we go about transformingMDIs into Learning Organizations?

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Facilitate a culture of identifying andquestioning mental models, worldviews andparadigms as relates to performance of MDIsand the state.

Facilitate a culture of collective dialogue andaction which will facilitate transformation,creativity and innovation in MDIs and the state.

Trends Analysis using Scenario based planningapproaches.

Identifying and disseminating lessons learnt

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How do know whether MDIs arelearning?

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Learning and Performance MDI

Policies, rules & Norms

Paradigm, Worldview,mindset & Mental models

Structure and functionof MDI

Goal and Performance ofMDI

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No Learning: Repeating the same action regardless of the results.

King Moshoeshoe II: “We keep crossing the same river andbeing eaten by same crocodiles”

Simple loop learning: Pay attention to feedback and change your action depending on the

results you get. Our choices and actions are dictated by your existing mental

models, mindsets, worldviews, paradigms Examples: Solving perfomance problems under current rules,

procedures, processes, and regulations.

Double loop learning: Allow feedback to affect and change our mental models, mindsets,

worldview and paradigms of the reality. This leads to new strategies and new classes of action and

experience that were not possible before: Examples: Solving performance problems under new rules,

procedures, processes and regulations.

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ConclusionsWhat is organizational learning?

Why organizational learning?

How do organizations learn?

What is worldview, mindsets, paradigms, mentalmodels and how they relate to organizationallearning?

How do we go about introducing learning inMDIs?

How do we tell we are learning?

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Thank You

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Documents consulted Kees van der Heijden et al (2002) The Sixth Sense—Accelerating

Organizational Learning with Scenarios. UNDP Regional Project Power Point Presentation on the Role of Models in

Policy analysis for HIV/AIDS (2002). UNDP Regional Project Power Point Presentation on System’s thinking and

HIV/AIDS (2002). Barry Oshry (1996) Seeing Systems pages xii to xiv An Introduction to Theory of Constraints power point presentation by Alan

Barnard. Peter Senge et al(1994) The Fifth Discipline Field Book—Strategies and Tools

for Building A Learning Organization. James L. Ritchie-Dunham & Hal T. Rabbino (2001) Managing From

Clarity—Identifying, Aligning and Leveraging Strategic Resources. Government of Namibia (2004) Vision 2030 Policy Framework for Long-term

National Development Main Document (Office of the President). Robert Simons (2005) Levers of Organization Design—How Managers Use

Accountability Systems for Greater Performance and Commitment—HarvardBusiness School Press

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Documents consultedcontinued

John D. Sterman (2000) BusinessDynamics—System’s thinking and Modeling forComplex World.

James L. Ritchie-Dunham and Hal T. Rabbino (2001)Managing from Clarity, Identifying, Aligning andLeveraging Strategic Resources.

Peter M. Senge (1990) The Fifth Discipline---The Artand Practice of Learning Organization.

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Document consulted

T.J. Chermack and L. Van der Merwe(2003) The role of constructivistlearning in scenario planning