What do learning organizations look like?
‘Management encourages a culture of exploration and risk taking and seeks ways to expose staff to new ideas and perspectives’; ‘A market action oriented philosophy drives company leaders and staff and there is a shared belief that he only reason a company has to exist is to serve a customer’; ‘They hire for all levels from outside the organization and will often use outside consultants to bring a new perspective’; ‘Management actively promote job rotation and project teams to develop individuals and encourage active networking and collaboration with outsiders’; ‘They allow mistakes as part of learning (without recrimination) and they often openly reward healthy rule breaking and policy defiance’; ‘Individual’s knowledge sharing is promoted and rewarded and free access to information is provided across all levels’.
KEY ISSUE: Some years ago (when I was a little ‘aussie’ financier), I was sent, to a five-week, live-in, management-training programme. On my return to work I had gained some insights on how to improve my area of responsibility. When I attempted to implement the changes the boss’s reaction was, ‘the way we are doing things now is just fine, we all feel like that after ‘the course’, you’ll get over it in a few weeks, just get on with the job’. (Now how entrepreneurial was that?)
KEY ISSUE: Many equate training people with being a learning organization. Training people is imperative however the new skills and knowledge gained from the training must lead to a change in how the organization operates. A change in the organization’s behaviour and implementation of new ways of doing things based on what has been learned (and shared) is the only true sign that you really are a learning organization.
IS YOUR ‘TRADITIONAL COMPANY’ GOING THE WAY OF THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCE INDUSTRY… (IT NO LONGER EXISTS)?
At the risk of labouring the point however it is important here is a definition of an entrepreneurial organization from:
1000ventures.com/business_guide/mgmt_inex_entreorg.html (interesting page actually worth a read)
“Entrepreneurial organization is any organization that meets these two criteria:
It is structured so that its members are given the information and tools necessary to allow each to pursue solutions and take advantage of opportunities at their level, based on the stated objectives of the organization.
An atmosphere exists that encourages individual initiative, and mistakes and failures that occur in the process of taking initiative are actually viewed as progress in the personal and organizational quest for excellence.”
NB: Adapted in part from Mitch McCrimmon’s book ‘Unleash the Entrepreneur Within’
Time to do the resume and find somewhere a little more entrepreneurial: blank resume template with examples blank resume template with examples
