Types of Org. Learning Strategies

1. Types of Org. Learning Strategies • Meetings • Cross-functional Teams • Workouts • Strategic Planning • Parallel Learning Structures • Corporate Scorecard • Benchmarking • Groupware • Distance Conferencing • Action Learning

2. Meetings: WHAT IS IT? Meetings are convenient and useful venues for ongoing learning. Periodic meetings can be dedicated exclusively to learning or learning activities can be scheduled as agenda items during regularly scheduled meetings. WHEN TO USE IT • To provide a venue for an entire work unit or team to engage in learning together. • To facilitate learning in teams. HOW TO USE IT • Invite experts to present in a particular subject area. • Invite people outside of your work unit or team to provide new perspective and insight on topics discussed during the meeting. • Conduct periodic team-building exercises during meetings to improve communication and understanding among members. • Have someone skilled in facilitation and consultations periodically observe the meeting and provide feedback on meeting skills and dynamics. • Ask meeting members to make presentations on recent work assignments. • Set aside time at the end of each meeting to pause and assess: "What were the strengths of our meeting today? How can we improve our meeting skills?"

3. Cross Functional Teams: WHAT IS IT? A Cross-Functional Team is composed of people with varied levels of skills and experience brought together to accomplish a task. These teams may use Action Learning as a process to solve problems. As the name implies, Cross-Functional Team members come from different organizational units. Cross-Functional Teams may be permanent or ad hoc. WHEN TO USE IT • To solve a problem that impacts on multiple parts of the organization. • To improve a work process that crosses organizational lines. • To coordinate ongoing processes or activities that cross organizational boundaries. • To accomplish tasks that require a breadth and depth of knowledge, skills, and experience. HOW TO USE IT • Select team members who have the optimal mix of skills and expertise. • Clarify the objectives and outcomes of the team. • Identify the roles and responsibilities of team members. • Use the knowledge of the entire team to determine strategies and solutions to accomplish objectives. • Determine timelines and actions to accomplish objectives. • Provide team members with access to training in teamwork skills such as communicating, listening, and facilitating. • Periodically evaluate the functioning of the team.

4. Workouts: WHAT IS IT? A Work-Out is an accelerated strategic change initiative pioneered by General Electric. Individuals representing all levels and functions of the organization or unit meet, without management, to identify ways the organization can work together more efficiently and effectively. Work-Outs can last from one to several days. WHEN TO USE IT • To accomplish rapid and far-reaching organizational change. • To develop creative and practical approaches to resolving work issues. • To examine and redesign work processes and practices. • To gain commitment to change from all stakeholders. HOW TO USE IT • Choose a facilitator who is skilled in Work-Out technology (or other real-time strategic change approaches). • Select members who have the optimal mix of skills and expertise to participate in the Work-Out sessions. • Members should represent all functions and levels of the organization or unit. Identify and prioritize issues to be addressed during the Work-Out session. • Develop strong recommendations and action plans. • Provide recommendations to managers at the end of the Work-Out session. • Managers make immediate public decisions to accept, reject, or ask for more information about recommendations. • After some time has passed, managers should provide follow up with Work-Out group members on the status of recommended actions.

5. Strategic Planning: WHAT IS IT? Strategic Planning is a process of determining the vision, mission, and goals of an organization and the strategies for achieving those goals. Strategic planning bridges the gap between the present and future. The process involves analyzing opportunities and threats that exist within and outside of the organization. WHEN TO USE IT • To ensure that the organization's goals and objectives are aligned with the needs of customers and the demands of the external environment. • To get stakeholder commitment to organizational goals. • To link budget and resource requirements to performance outcomes. • To establish the framework for the organizational outcomes that will be measured and reported annually to the Congress, the Executive Branch, and the public as required under the Government Performance and Results Act. HOW TO USE IT • Begin with the end in mind by developing a vision for the future. • Discuss how the vision of your work unit fits with the overall organization. • Clarify the mission of your work unit or organization by asking: "What would not get done in the organization if our function were taken away?“ • Assess the current state of the work unit or organization by gathering data on internal and external threats and opportunities. • Check that your strategic goals and performance plans align with the mission. • Analyze the gap between the current state (where the work unit or organization is now) and the vision (where the work unit or organization wants to be). • Identify strategies and actions for determine how to get from the current to the future state. • Identify resources required to achieve your future state such as human resources, money, and intellectual capital

6. Parallel Learning Structures: WHAT IS IT? Parallel Learning Structures (also known as Communities of Practice) promote innovation and change in large bureaucratic organizations while retaining the advantages of bureaucratic design. Groups representing various levels and functions work to open new channels of communication outside of and parallel to the normal, hierarchical structure. Parallel Learning Structures may be a form of Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management involves capturing the organization's collective expertise wherever it resides (in databases, on paper, or in people's heads) and distributing it to the people who need it in a timely and efficient way. WHEN TO USE IT • To develop and implement organization-wide innovations. • To foster innovation and creativity within a bureaucratic system. • To support the exchange of knowledge and expertise among performers. • To capture the organization's collective expertise. HOW TO USE IT • Look for existing, informal exchanges that naturally occur among staff members. • Have interested parties convene and develop a mission statement or list the outcomes. • Determine what support (e.g., time, facilities, and technology) would facilitate the information exchange and learning. • Publicize when and where the exchanges take place. • Establish a process for organizing and recording the corporate knowledge.

7. Corporate Scorecard: WHAT IS IT? A Corporate Scorecard is a tool that facilitates the implementation of long-terms goals and strategies through a mechanism of measurement. Also known as the Balanced Scorecard, this mechanism provides a medium to translate the vision and objectives of the organization into a system of performance measurements that effectively focuses the entire organization. The Scorecard tracks financial and non-financial drivers of performance as well as the impact of intangibles that are often overlooked (e.g., skill development and knowledge transfer between functions). WHEN TO USE IT • To track performance against established strategic goals as required by the Government Performance and Results Act. • To collect data that are useful in monitoring customer satisfaction, employee morale, and organizational learning along with the more traditional financial management measures. • To identify the work activities that add value to the organization. • To incorporate data from customers, employees, learning and growth, and financial growth perspectives. • To obtain a balanced view of the present and future performance of the organization. HOW TO USE IT; • Begin creating a Scorecard by setting strategic goals and measures in four areas: • Customer perspective: Considers the organization through the eyes of a customer so the organization retains a focus on customer expectations and satisfaction. • Internal perspective: Focuses attention on the key internal processes that drive the business. • Learning and growth perspective: Focuses on the organization's people and infrastructure and how the organization can improve and create value. • Financial perspective: Measures the ultimate results that the business provides to its shareholders. • Map the strategic goals and measures to the work activities and individual performance. Pilot test the measures and survey instruments with small groups and make needed revisions. Conduct briefings with all stakeholders (employees, union representatives, managers, etc.) on the Scorecard elements, process to be used, and anticipated benefits. Collect and analyze the data using the Scorecard. Involve all stakeholders in working with the results. Find ways to sustain areas of high performance and develop strategies for improving areas of less successful performance.

8. Benchmarking: WHAT IS IT? Benchmarking is a process used to compare the performance and best practices of an organization with those of other organizations. The ultimate goal is to identify improvements that can make significant changes to the organization. WHEN TO USE IT • To calibrate an organization's performance against well-respected organizations. • To obtain information on the best practices of other organizations. • To set priorities and allocate resources by learning from what others are doing. HOW TO USE IT • Identify activities and practices to benchmark. • Collect data from organizations that have recognized ability or accomplishment in the activity. • Suitable "benchmarkers" may include primary competitors, other divisions in a larger organization, and "world class" performers in a particular area. • Be prepared to share as much information as you receive from benchmarking partners. • Integrate and analyze the data. • Act on the information collected by implementing features that can be adapted to your own organization. • Monitor improvements and conduct ongoing benchmarking.

9. Groupware: WHAT IS IT?Groupware is a technology used to facilitate a group's communication, problem solving, and decision making processes. Groupware technologies can be either synchronous (real time) or asynchronous (different times). In addition, users can either work together in the same place (co-located) or in different places (non co-located). One of the most widely used Groupware applications consists of a meeting that allows participants to be in the same room inputting information simultaneously. Participants provide ideas, comments, and decisions at individual networked workstations. A projected computer screen displays the anonymous input of all participants. Information can be weighted, prioritized, and voted on. HOW TO USE IT • To facilitate communication by making it faster and clearer. • To bring together multiple perspectives and expertise. • To facilitate and accelerate group problem solving and decision making. • To encourage collective learning. • To bring together geographically dispersed team members or stakeholders whose input is needed for decision making and/or problem solving. WHEN TO USE IT • Develop or lease a Groupware meeting setting that includes individual networked stations and a computer projection screen. • Determine the goals and objectives of the Groupware meeting. • Prioritize issues to work on during the meeting. • Use a facilitator to manage the process of the meeting. • Use an operator to run the computer system tabulations.

10. Distance Conferencing: WHAT IS IT?Distance Conferencing allows for learning and knowledge exchanges using computers and telecommunications. Distance Conferencing technology is versatile. This technology can be used to conduct an actual training class or to hold meetings among team members who are not in the same location. WHEN TO USE IT To deliver training to the employee's desktop. To allow people to communicate and participate when they are unable to be co-located. To reach large audiences while reducing travel costs. EXAMPLES Determine goals and objectives for using Distance Conferencing. Train instructors and facilitators in how to work with large groups of people from several different locations. Prepare any needed materials and send them to the remote sites in advance of the conference. Involve all of the sites by structuring meaningful interactions (e.g., questions, reports from each site, etc.). Solicit feedback after each conference.

11. How to use Action Learning • Clarify the objective of the Action Learning Group • Convene a cross-section of people with a complementary mix of skills/expertise to participate • Hold initial meetings to analyze the issues and identify actions for resolving them • Return the group to the work place to take action • Use subgroups to work on specific aspects if necessary • After a period of time, reconvene the group to discuss progress, lessons learned, and next steps. • Repeat the cycle of action and learning until the problem is resolved or new directions are determined. • Document the learning process for future reference. Record lessons learned after each phase of learning.