‘The Learning Organization’ has become very fashionable on the conference circuit and among management consultants. The central message here is that there are various types of knowledge systems in organizations and care is needed in applying new learning approaches to them.
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References
1.
Senge,P. M., The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, Doubleday, 1990.
2.
PRIME™ (Periodic Role Indicator for Market Evolution) was developed by the author over several years, in the course of consulting projects for which existing models did not prove adequate. It is used by Boas Consulting, to guide organizational development and transformation projects. An associated sociometric instrument is currently being developed. The model and its associated concepts are copyright of the author. For more information please contact Boas Consulting at 38 Fitzroy Road, London NW1 8TY; tel.+44 171 586 4986.
3.
Fuchs,S., ‘A Sociological Theory of Scientific Change’, Social Forces, Vol. 71,. No. 4, 1993, pp. 933-953.
4.
Social Forces, p. 937.
5.
Since this model was developed, there appears to be a growing trend toward optimisation models and away from maximisation as an ideal. Parallel developments place similar emphasis on socio-cultural dimensions which interact to give rise to a number of potentially viable organizational types. For comparison, see e.g. RobGoffee, and GarethJones,, ‘What Holds the Modern Company Together?, Harvard Business Review, Nov.-Dec, 1996, pp. 133-48.
6.
Fuchs, op. cit., p. 938.
7.
Fuchs, op. cit., p. 938.
8.
Psychometric and sociometric instruments based on different models can be used together to provide a useful basis for dialogue in leadership coaching. For example the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is juxtaposed with the model of Metaprograms which we are developing in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The former has its roots in Jungian notions of archetypal personality, the latter in cognitive science and structural 1inguistics. It is fascinating to note the facility with which one can combine discourses based on seemingly incommensurable beliefs.
9.
Fuchs, op. cit., p. 939.
10.
For a highly accessible account which develops existing metaphors and updates the notion of optimisation, see KellyKevin, Out of Control, Element, 1995.
11.
Loc. cit., p. 943.
12.
For an outstanding study of the creative scientific thinking which gave rise to new forms of knowledge in the period 1900-1950, see ArthurI. Miller, Imagery in Scientific Thought, MIT Press, 1987 (1984). Miller's discussion of Niels Bohr, Ludwig Boltzmann, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg and Henri Poincare pays particular attention to the intensive dialogue both among them and between them and their contemporaries in other disciplines.
13.
Kuhn,Thomas S., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, (2nd ed.) University of Chicago Press, 1970 (1962).
14.
Fuchs, op. cit., pp. 933-934.
15.
We are currently investigating the possibilities, in collaboration with corporate clients. In the mean time, subjective assessment, based on an understanding of the many possible influences on Interdependence and Uncertainty levels, is proving to be a satisfactory and effective approach. This avoids the many pitfalls of forced quantification, and enhances employee awareness and involvement.
16.
The audit takes place through dialogue, with and among the employees concerned. The model is presented to the group or team, who are then guided in mapping the desired and present knowledge systems for each task, moment and context. Maps are built up which represent the business processes through time. These are used to guide and monitor organizational initiatives.
17.
Diversification may be the optimal knowledge system for creative endeavour in the arts. This indicates an argument for abundant arts funding; allocation of scarce resources increases Interdependence, as individuals depend on others’ judgements to be able to conduct their work. It is interesting to note that the world's great artistic traditions involve a long training period of Technical Specialisation, during which technical mastery is achieved, followed by either Diversification (in the case of individual endeavour) or Permanent Discovery (for group creativity). Where technical mastery is followed by individuals working independently and to clear rules (Bureaucratic Efficiency), we classify this as a craft or trade, rather than an art form.
18.
Managers with strong shared goals and values (high Interdependence) and with a high level of perceived Uncertainty (as in the current business environment) are particularly susceptible to Collective Caprice in the form of management fads and fashions.
19.
See, e.g. the works collected in Bateson,G., Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Ballantine Books, 1972.
20.
A general description of organizational structure and reporting procedures is not adequate to predict the level of Interdependence in a given context. This recalls our earlier remarks on the preference for subjective assessment within a particular context over forced measurement. In the example in question, Interdependence was low due to a history of employees guarding knowledge in an effort to gain individual recognition and reward. Basing individual reward on team, division or company performance can effectively support initiatives to increase Interdependence.
21.
Olson,E. M., Walker,O. C., Jnr. and Ruekert,R. W., ‘Organizing for Effective New Product Development: The Moderating Role of Product Innovativeness’ Journal of Marketing, Vol. 59, 1995, pp. 48-62.
22.
PRIME is currently being applied in companies representing manufacturing, energy and service industries. If your activities include the management of significant change, innovation, or risk, and you wish to participate in research to test the PRIME model in diverse cultural settings and industries, please contact the author at Boas Consulting, 38 Fitzroy Road, London, NW1 8TY; tel. +44 171 586 4986. We are interested in hearing from organizations wishing to collaborate in research to develop and validate a sociometric instrument based on the model.
