Kim Woods Only (602 7.2 Discussion)

Post #1

What impacts have leaders within your organization had with learning or improving the organization?

Over the course of my time at my college, I have witnessed a great leader in action. This leader came into the organization a couple of years ago. Having worked in adult education for several years at the high school level, she came in with extensive experience in her field. Yet, she was new to the college and new to the culture of the organization. Quickly she familiarized herself with her team and with the college culture and processes. She met with her team frequently and discussed with them at length the importance of their roles and the impacts that they’re work had on those they served. She articulated that she wanted to make a lasting impact on the way services were provided to adult learners that would better their lives and future generations. She explained why she was so passionate about the work she does and in doing so inspired others (Sinek, 2010). She urged employees to find creative solutions that would move them from current reality to the vision and they committed to this vision. Through her leadership, each team member was provided professional development to better how they could contribute to the collective vision. Input from all staff was included in decision making and used in determining roles and responsibilities, thus improving employee motivation.

What steps from this reading could your organization implement?

I believe that this great leader used all five of Senge’s disciplines to create a learning adult education department. Being new, she was able to see the “big picture and to distinguish patterns instead of conceptualizing change as isolated events” (Mason, 2018), identify how each of the parts were interrelated, and determine areas that needed to be addressed. By being committed to continual learning herself, she engaged others to develop their skills and review mental models. She encouraged input from all team members and inspired a shared vision. Through continual review of processes and initiatives, she facilitated team learning through discussion and dialogue. Other leaders within the organization could benefit from reviewing this leader's approach to building a learning environment and team.

What leadership practices in your organization go against Senge's teachings of learning organizations?

My organization lacks good communication channels and an environment that makes all employees feel that their creative and critical thinking and input are valued and needed. They do not publicize the vision of the organization well, nor elicit genuine commitment from employees to achieve the vision. Many employees do not know what the vision is. Without a clear and shared vision, employees are not encouraged to experiment and innovate, nor do they have a long-term view (Smith, 2001). 

References:

Mason, M.K. (2018). What is a Learning Organization? Retrieved February 19, 2018, from  http://www.moyak.com/papers/learning-organization.html

Sinek, S. (2010, May 4). How Greet Leaders Inspire Action. TED. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Smith, M.K. (2001) Peter Senge and the learning organization. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from  http://infed.org/mobi/peter-senge-and-the-learning-organization/

Post #2

What impacts have leaders within your organization had with learning or improving the organization? What steps from this reading could your organization implement?

I have had many leaders in my career who had made great impacts within my organization. Recently, Colonel Benner shared his vision with us to show us what would make us a better group. For instance, he had me develop a one PowerPoint slide in which showed future dates of our military exercises and whom would be going to those places. This improved our “Protection” section and allowed for better strategic planning in all phases to include equipment and personnel. Even better than that, once my COL showed our new simplified planning calendar to our general he had this one PowerPoint slide implemented to the whole organization which once again improved planning and preparation but to the whole organization of 800 personnel. Moya Mason stated, “A learning organization does away with the mindset that it is only senior management who can and do all the thinking for an entire corporation” (Mason, 2018). Which is true as once COL Benner shared his vision with us he allowed us to help in the process which developed the power point slide and made not only the section better but the whole organization as well.

Within the reading the one step that could help my organization improve is Team Learning. I Corps is a unit that has 15 departments within it. Peter Senge (1990) stated, “Team Learning- is important because modern organizations operate based on teamwork, which means that organizations cannot learn if team members do not come together and learn. It is a process of developing the ability to create desired results; to have a goal in mind and work together to attain it (Mason, 2018). Unfortunately, some sections deem themselves more important than other departments which causes communication problems. If I Corps could come together and work together as a unity than our organization would be unstoppable.

What leadership practices in your organization go against Senge's teachings of learning organizations?

This is a hard one for me as the military has done a great job in staying one of the best and most influential Armies in the world. Mark Smith (2001) said “The basic rationale for such organizations is that in situations of rapid change only those that are flexible, adaptive and productive will excel” (Smith, 2001). That is one of the strengths of the US Army as we continually adapted and remained flexible in a chaotic world that seems to want to be like us. But, to remain neutral there is a learning deficiency that we seem to be forgetting and that’s promoting within the ranks because they are favored instead of developing personal mastery within the person. This goes against Peter Senge’s Personal Mastery ideology. Senge said, “Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs” (Smith, 2001). Personal Mastery is when an individual master their craft and since I have seen Soldier’s get promoted without this important learning their subordinate suffers. Suffer from leaders who do not possess their craft and their subordinates do not learn such then team learning is not happening which goes against Peter Senge’s teachings.

V/R

Jose

References

Mason, M. (2018) What is a Learning Organization? Retrieved 19 February 2018 from http://www.moyak.com/papers/learning-organization.html

Smith, M. (2001). Peter Senge and the learning organization. Retrieved 19 February 2018 from http://infed.org/mobi/peter-senge-and-the-learning-organization/

Post #3

What impact have leaders within your organization had with learning or improving the organization? What steps from this reading could your organization implement?

My organization most definitely is not purposefully or methodically a learning organization, which makes analyzing it from this frame a bit more difficult. However, my principal often does emphasize trying to enroll employees in their work by helping them to find a personal satisfaction in their work. This vision really aligns with the concept of “creative tension” from The Fifth Discpline (Senge, 1990). From this reading, my organization and the leadership within it could stand to practice a few from this list: “garner independent thought” and “increase our ability to manage change” stand out from the rest. As teachers on a very large, comprehensive school site, we really are on an island sometimes. In order to be successful on our islands, we have to be able to think independently. On the same topic, we have to deal with change often, as our organization is very large and complex, with several different stakeholder groups influencing the way we conduct business in our classrooms.

What leadership practices in your organization go against Senge’s teaching of learning organizations?

On learning organizations, Senge et al. emphasize the idea of “deep learning” and the profound impact it has on members of a team: “This deep learning cycle constitutes the essence of a learning organization—the development not just of new capacities, but of fundamental shifts of mind, individually and collectively” (Senge et al., 1994). Within my organization, the bureaucratic nature supersedes any potential for deep reflection and learning. As a public-sector entity, our organization’s operation and management is heavily accounted for and scrutinized at many levels. This prevents leadership from taking the reigns and incorporating effective structures for practicing the five disciplines emphasized by Senge.

Senge, P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization, NY: Double Currency.

Senge, P.M., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., Smith, B. J., Kleiner, A. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook, NY: Doubleday.