On My Walk (Learning)
“Learning is one of the fundamental processes of change and improvement every leader must master.”
I was listening to Professor Michael A. Roberto on my walk this morning. Roberto is the Trustee Professor of Management at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. He also taught at the Harvard Business School for a number of years. Roberto referenced organizational learning expert David Garvin and it piqued my curiosity.
Robert David Garvin highlights three fundamental types of learning that must occur in your organization:
- INTELLIGENCE GATHERING:
Leaders gather intelligence by searching their environment to draw on established sources of data, by inquiry, i.e. conducting interviews and surveys to establish new data sets, and by general observation of how systems, people, and processes are impacting the organization's ability to function. - EXPERIENCE:
Leaders utilize "lessons-learned exercises" to glean insights from an experience or an event. They also work to improve their performance by focusing on "deliberate practice," maximizing their efforts by honing a specific technique or skill. - EXPERIMENTATION:
Leaders risk failure as a means to stimulate innovation and learning. They leverage the lessons learned from "low-cost, low-risk, and speedy experiments" to improve organizational performance.
"Leaders are learners" is not simply Roberto's maxim. It is God's.
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
Which of these means can you incorporate to drive learning today?
Sources:
- Michael A. Roberto, "Transformational Leadership: How Leaders Change Teams, Companies, and Organizations" in the Great Courses program. You can purchase this lecture series via the link above. Audible uses can download it for one credit, with accompanying PDF.
- Michael A. Roberto, "Transformational Leadership: How Leaders Change Teams, Companies, and Organizations." The Great Courses: Chantilly, Virginia. The Teaching Company. 2011. Pages 83, 89.