Administrative thinking applied in the north of Argentina

Together with a research partner, we had the wonderful opportunity to share experiences with a group of small producers from a province in northern Argentina.

We hoped that they would require us to learn to keep "their numbers" and that they would not pay more attention to the strategic management issues that we proposed, however our surprise was enormous when their interest focused on growing as a human group, and that they intuitively applied what we read in Druker, Senge, Porter, Miztberg!

It should not have come as a surprise, since since we heard about them, we feel little by the side of these people who, without any training in business, had a vision, established strategic objectives and reached them! For a long time, they have been direct exporters of a product of excellent quality and differentiated.

When we began to interact, day by day they renewed our surprise, and from there, the need arose to put them in contact with the work of Peter Senge, because we listened to them, we saw them in action, and the teachings of this author appeared in our minds. Applied by people who had never even heard of it…!

Thus, for them, with great respect and trying to be as faithful as possible, I tried to extract the first and second parts of "The fifth discipline", and chapters 1 and 2 of "The dance of change" as a way to introduce them in the work of Peter Senge, and tell them… this… see… what it says here, and that many Administrators, Managers of large companies study, and find it difficult to apply, is what to a large extent, you from here from the mountain, do, carry on like this…

GF

"Building a Learning Organization" Are we interested?

Learning capabilities are “… the skills and abilities that, across individuals, teams, and larger communities, enable people to constantly improve their ability to produce results and are truly important to them. In other words, learning abilities allow us to learn »

Peter Senge, The Dance of Change

From the first meeting in which we decided, you and we undertake this challenge of sharing knowledge and learning from each other, we are growing talk by talk, not only in terms of beekeeping (interest that led us to know them), and an approximation of what which is "that" of managing but not only "managing but also strategically managing" our business "as Drucker says (what a pretense! No?), but we are also learning as individuals and as a group.

There is no room, at this time when we are in this mutual learning interaction, the dichotomy between «you → producers-entrepreneurs» and «we → researchers eventually training».

Perhaps the difference is valid in our other activities, but not when we meet to learn, because with marches and countermarches, and although we have not perceived it, that of: none of us is as intelligent as all of us, has manifested itself when we exchanged ideas, we dialogue, we begin but to understand the points of view of others minimally to listen to them.

Whether we want to or not, we are not the same as that first time when we shook hands and said "my name is…", we have learned that we can share time, that time has a value (qualitatively and quantitatively), that each one has a place… we feel part, some more others less, but we feel part of something, small or large is not essential.

From the beginning of these talks, the constant questions are how do we grow? How do we organize ourselves? In which you can read how do we succeed? There is no recipe that answers them, no strategy is armed and guarantees success. It will depend on multiple factors (the culture of the organization, the structure, the environment, etc.). There are no good or bad strategies, there are no truths or falsehoods, when it comes to Administration. Of course, the fluency with which we communicate, the flexibility to adapt quickly to changes in the environment (social, political, economic, legal, technological) will be extremely useful, and of course the creativity we have in our decisions when the situation is critical and also when it is not.

We already know something: to have such flexibility and to be able to constantly re-create ourselves, we must first know / learn ourselves, learn from our group, from the competition, first of all, but only in principle.

What do I mean? I want to say that the only answer that currently seems to be valid for developing ourselves as people - and as part of it in business - is in our ability to learn (from our own or other's experience, or by generating new alternatives).

In the ability to learn individually and in groups, there will be the possibility of overcoming any setback, of growing, and also that sudden and / or important internal or external changes, which we usually call «crisis», instead of signifying a catastrophe, become in an opportunity that propels us or better yet, catapults us to magnificent achievements.

The ability to learn faster than competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage

For this reason, the subject to be addressed seems important to me, the chosen author: Peter Senge, to show the subject.

2. Re-learn to learn

Why do I choose to title this excerpt like this? From a young age they teach us to "analyze" problems, what it is, is to take part by part, to fragment the world. While this simplifies complex tasks, we unknowingly pay a high price: we do not see the consequences of our actions by losing the connection of each action we take with the whole. For this reason, we then try to see a general image that is difficult for us because we see it in fragment or as a picture-puzzle where the fragments are noticed, and in the end we end up giving up the idea.

This that happens on a personal level happens in groups, in organizations. What Peter Senge, an author I try to extract to communicate the importance of building intelligent organizations, proposes is that, given the constant changes of all kinds that we live in, the only organizations that will gain relevance are those that take advantage of the enthusiasm and learning capacity of people at all levels of the organization.

Senge explains that smart organizations are possible because deep down we are all learners. No one has to teach a child to learn, for children are inherently inquisitive, skilled learners who learn to walk, talk, and groom themselves. Hence, smart organizations are possible because learning is part of human nature, and we love learning.

Yes! We love to learn, we have to remove the "academic" connotation that we have given to the term learn = school / university. We are constantly learning, we just don't realize it; We have the myth that learning is spending hours and hours locked in books or doing calculations, when we are constantly learning, each time we solve a situation, each time we make a decision, each time we choose something.

On occasion, most of us were part of a great team, a group of people who worked wonderfully together, trusted each other, complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses, had common goals that were broader than individual goals, and achieved extraordinary results. What they experienced was intelligent organization. The team, group, was not magnificent from the beginning, but learned to generate extraordinary results.

Systemic thinking

Just as in nature, living organisms, human companies and among them businesses are systems. Systems linked by invisible webs of interrelated acts, which can take years to show their mutual effects. As we ourselves are part of that warp, it is doubly difficult to see the whole pattern of change. What's more, it's common for us to focus on "snapshots," on isolated parts of the system, and wonder why our deepest problems are never solved.

Systems thinking is a conceptual framework, a body of knowledge and tools, which help to visualize the patterns, so that they are clearer, and thus we can modify them. They in turn assume an intuitive world view.

It seeks to understand interdependencies and change. It is based on the innate tendencies of a system that lead to growth or stability.

Domain (Orientation?) Personal

It refers to a "skill" level. People with a high level of personal mastery are able to consistently achieve the results that matter most to them: they approach life as an artist would approach a work of art. He achieves this by dedicating himself to incessant learning.

The discipline of personal mastery allows us to clarify and deepen our personal vision, concentrate energies, develop patience and see reality objectively. This discipline begins by clarifying the things that really interest us, to put our lives at the service of our greatest aspirations.

Organizations only learn through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning, but there is no organizational learning without individual learning.

Organizationally, the connection between personal learning and organizational learning is of interest, the reciprocal commitments between individuals and the organization, the special spirit of a company made up of people capable of learning.

"Personal Mastery" transcends spiritual openness, although it requires growth of the spirit. It means approaching life creatively: living it from a creative perspective and not merely reactive

This discipline embodies two underlying movements: 1) it clarifies all the time what is important to us; 2) is learning to see current reality all the time. The juxtaposition between vision (what we want) with current reality (where we are in relation to where we want to be) generates "creative tension."

The essence of personal mastery is to generate and sustain creative tension in our lives. In such a context "learning" does not mean acquiring more information, but expanding the ability to produce the results we want.

For those with a high level of personal mastery, a vision is a calling and not just a good idea. They see the current reality as an ally not as a problem. They learned to perceive the force of change and to work with those forces. They feel connected to other people and to life itself. However they do not sacrifice their uniqueness. They feel part of a larger creative process that they can influence without even trying to control it. They are aware of their ignorance, their incompetencies, their growth zones, and although it seems contradictory, this makes them confident in themselves.

Resistance (Self Determination?)

Committing to the full development of our life constitutes a radical break with current conventions. It is argued that encouraging personal mastery is "soft" because it is based on "non-quantifiable" concepts, how to measure intuition and personal vision? Therefore it is difficult to understand in a materialistic culture.

The most common form of intimidation is cynicism, and in many cases after a cynic (says Senge) we will find a frustrated idealist, someone who turned his ideals into expectations… big mistake, since expectations were not met, they felt disappointed, hurt, bitter because people did not fulfill "their" "ideals."

On the other hand, the fear that personal domination threatens the established order is valid, inasmuch as the business commitment to personal domination is naive and foolish if leaders lack the ability to build or bring to the surface a shared vision and mental models that guide decision makers.

Personal Vision

The personal vision is born in one, inside. Most adults have little sense of real vision. We have goals and objectives, but they are not visions. When asked what they want, they answer what they want to get rid of. Also, we tend to focus on the media and not the result, eg: we want large market share (this is a goal) but they can't answer, why do they want that share?

A real vision cannot be understood apart from the idea of ​​purpose, and by this he refers to "why an individual thinks he is alive." As a functional premise, the idea has great power, among other things because it implies that happiness can be the result of living in coherence with our purpose.

Now let's differentiate vision from purpose. Purpose is direction, Vision is a specific destination, the image of the desired future. The purpose is abstract while the vision is concrete.

Vision is intrinsic and not relative. It is something we desire for its intrinsic value, not for its position in relation to other things.

Now when the vision is achieved (or not), our sense of purpose guides us further, imposes a new vision on us. That is why personal mastery must be a discipline. A process of continually locating, over and over again, in what is truly desired, in our visions.

It should be added that vision is multifaceted, it has personal and social aspects, and they are all part of what we want. It is clear that it takes courage to defend our personal vision.

That courage to defend our vision distinguishes people with personal mastery.

Creative Tension

When we embrace a vision, there is a gap between what we want and the current reality, this is creative tension. This gap can be bridged in two ways, one is by acting in a way that the vision agrees with the current reality (compensatory process), a solution that leads to frustration and emotional tension. The other way is to act accordingly, and strive to achieve the vision, what we want.

In itself, it is not so much what the vision is, but what the vision achieves.

Creative Tension transforms the way of facing "failure", because this is a setback, a test, an opportunity to learn about inaccurate images of reality, about strategies that did not give expected results, about the clarity of vision.

Failures do not testify to worthlessness or helplessness. "An error is a fact whose full benefits have not yet turned in your favor"

Mastering creative tension generates the capacity for perseverance and patience. It leads to a change in our attitude to reality, which stops being an enemy to become an ally.

Commitment to the truth

How to deal with a structural conflict? You can start by telling the truth.

It may be considered an inappropriate strategy, but a commitment to the truth is more powerful than any technique in conflict resolution.

It does not mean the search for "Truth", the absolute final word, the ultimate cause. Commitment to truth means endeavoring to root out the ways in which we limit ourselves or deceive ourselves, preventing us from seeing what exists, and to continually challenge our theories about why things are the way they are. This means continually broadening our perception.

Thus the first critical task in dealing with structural conflicts is to recognize them, and to acknowledge the resulting behavior.

We are prisoners of structures of which we are not aware, recognized, no longer have the same power. This occurs in both individuals and organizations.

The power of truth, seeing reality as it is, clearing the mind of perception, desisting from distortions of reality that we imposed on ourselves, sets us free. It takes emotional pressure off us. It sets us free.

Mental Models

They are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, and images that influence how we understand the world and act. We are often unaware of our mental models or the effects they have on our behavior.

Mental models of business conduct are also deeply ingrained. Many perceptions about new markets or outdated organizational practices are not put into practice because they conflict with tacit mental models.

The discipline of working with mental models begins with turning the mirror inward: learning to exhume our images to rigorous scrutiny. It also includes the ability to engage in open conversations where inquiry (inquisitive attitude) is balanced with persuasion, where people express their thoughts to expose them to the influence of others.

Mental models themselves are neither good nor bad at what it does to "manage." What generates undesirable consequences are those tacit mental models of which we may or may not be aware but of which we do not speak and are less questioned, which generate a difference between what is said, preached and what is done, "the theory exposed and the theory-in-use »

Ingrained models can stop innovative changes, limit learning when they are not made explicit, generate tensions and conflicts.

We must learn to reflect on our mental models, investigate our own and other people's ways of thinking, they all have their virtues, and their defects, understanding the defects can help to see the weaknesses of mental models, and try to correct, improve them or strengthen them.

It is useful when you state your opinion, in order to reflect on your own and other people's ways of thinking:

• Explain your own reasoning and feelings (explain how the opinion that is being given was arrived at, and the data on which one is based);

• Encourage others to explore the opinion we are giving (do you see gaps in my thinking?)

• Encourage others to give different points of view

• Investigate the opinions of others that differ from your own (how did you arrive at your point of view?)

When inquiring about other people's points of view:

• If we have assumptions about other, different points of view, state them clearly and acknowledge that they are assumptions;

• Describe the data on which we base our point of view

• Do not ask if we do not have a genuine interest in the answer (that is, if it is only trying to be courteous or to expose the weakness of others)

When the dialogue gets stuck (interest waned)

• Ask what data or what logic could lead them to change their mind;

• Ask if there is a way to see a joint way to find new information

When one or the others are hesitant to express their point of view or explore alternative ideas:

• Make sure that both you and others express out loud where the difficulty is (for example, "What is it with this situation, and with me or others, that it is so difficult to have an open discussion?")

• If there is a common desire to do so, work out with everyone a way to overcome obstacles.

Learning eventually leads to changes in action, it does not consist only in absorbing information, so it is vital to be clear about the gap between what is said and our theories-in-use (the theories that justify our actions). Otherwise we expose ourselves to believing that we have learned something just because we adopt new language or concepts, even though our behavior has not changed.

Systems thinking can not only help to change our mental models, or improve them, but, even better, modify our 'ways of thinking', moving from mental models dominated by facts, to ways of thinking that recognize patterns of long-term change. term and the underlying structures that generate those patterns.

This would lead to the fact that just as linear thinking dominates most of the mental models used today to make decisions, the organizations of the future will make critical decisions based on a shared understanding of interrelationships and patterns of change.

Building a Shared Vision

The greatest aspiration when it comes to leadership is the ability to share an image of the future that one tries to believe.

It is hard to conceive of an organization that will achieve greatness without goals, values, or missions that are deeply shared within the organization.

When there is genuine vision (something that is the complete opposite of "vision formulation"), people do not excel or learn because they are ordered to, but because they want to.

Often times, the shared vision of a company revolves around the charisma of the leader, or a crisis that temporarily spurs everyone, but, given the option, most people prefer to go after a lofty goal, not just in times of crisis but at all times. What is often lacking is the discipline to translate the individual vision into a shared vision (not a cookbook, but guiding principles and practices).

The practice of shared vision assumes skills to shape shared "visions of the future" that foster genuine commitment rather than mere compliance. By mastering this discipline, leaders learn that it is counterproductive to try to impose a vision, no matter how sincere and noble the intention may be.

Team learning

Teams can learn, and when they do, they not only generate extraordinary results, but their members grow faster.

The discipline of team learning begins with 'dialogue', the ability of members to learn to 'suspend assumptions' and enter into authentic 'joint thinking'.

Dialogue also involves learning to recognize patterns of interaction that erode learning in a team. Defending patterns that are deeply rooted in the team's performance. If they are not detected, they threaten learning. Detected, they are creatively brought out and can accelerate learning.

Team learning is vital because the fundamental unit of learning in modern organizations is not the individual but the team. If teams don't learn, the organization can't learn.

Despite popular mythology, great teams are not characterized by the absence of conflict. On the contrary, one of the most reliable indicators of a team that continuously learns is the visible conflict of ideas.

In great teams, conflict becomes productive. There is often a conflict over vision. The essence of the "visionary" process lies in the gradual emergence of a shared vision from diverse personal visions. Even if people share a common vision, they may have different ideas about how to achieve it. The free flow of conflicting ideas is crucial for creative thinking, to discover new solutions that no individual could find on his own. The conflict becomes part of the dialogue.

What makes a team learn is practice, a group of intelligent and talented individuals does not make a great team, but the aptitude to learn as a team, and this is what practice does.

It should be clear that the reference to "discipline" is to a theoretical and technical body that is studied and mastered in order to put it into practice. A discipline is a developmental path to acquire certain skills or competencies. Like any discipline, from playing the piano to engineering, some people have an innate "gift," but with practice anyone can develop a degree of skill.

While the practice of a discipline involves constant learning "you never get there." You can never say "we are an intelligent organization", just as no one can say "I am a cultured person", because the more we learn, the more we understand our ignorance. A company cannot be "excellent" in the sense of having achieved permanent excellence; he is always practicing the disciplines of learning, on the verge of being better or worse.

The learning disciplines proposed by Senge are related to the way of thinking, what we want and our way of interacting and learning from each other. In this sense they are more like artistic disciplines than traditional administrative disciplines.

Practicing a discipline is different from copying a "model." Often, says Peter Senge, innovations in management are described by referring to the "best practices" of so-called leading companies, and he states, I don't believe that great organizations are built by trying to emulate others, as well as greatness. individual is not achieved by trying to copy another 'great person'.

Senge emphasizes how vital the five disciplines are developed as a whole, recognizes the challenge that it implies because of how difficult it is to integrate them, but states that the benefits are worth the effort.

It tells us that the fifth discipline of learning is systems thinking, as it integrates and integrates with the other disciplines of learning, emphasizes them, demonstrates and constantly reminds us that the whole can exceed the sum of the parts.

He affirms that systemic thinking allows us to understand the most subtle aspect of organizations, which is the new perception of oneself and the world: instead of considering ourselves isolated from the world, we consider ourselves connected to the world. An "external factor" is no longer seen as causing our problems, we see that our actions create the problems we experience.

An intelligent organization is an area where people continually discover how they create their reality and how they can modify it.

This author is convinced that what happens in an intelligent organization, an organization that learns, is a change of focus, a mental displacement, and in this sense reaches the true meaning of "learning" which is that mental transit, which is far from the everyday use of the term learning as absorption of information. Absorbing information does not mean having learned.

True learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through learning:

• we re-create ourselves over and over again;

• we become capable of doing something that we could not do before;

• we perceive the world in a new way each time, and we re-create our relationship with it;

• We expand our ability to create;

Inside everyone, there is a hunger for this kind of learning, only sometimes we don't identify it, we don't detect it.

Thus, the basic meaning for Senge, of "intelligent organization", is an organization that learns and continually expands its capacity to create the future. It is not enough to learn to survive - adaptive learning - what is true is important and necessary, however, intelligent organization combines adaptive learning (to survive) with "generative learning", learning that increases our creative capacity. "

The five disciplines of learning foster many other capacities:

ASPIRATION: ability to orient, individually and collectively, towards creating what people really want rather than simply reacting to circumstances (based on personal mastery and shared vision)

REFLECTIVE CONVERSATION: the ability to converse in a way that encourages reflection and inquiry, to create shared understanding and coordinate action (based on mental models and team learning)

UNDERSTANDING COMPLEXITY: ability to see patterns of interdependence in problems and distinguish the consequences of action in the short and long term (based on systems thinking)

Learning abilities cannot be forced or rushed or imposed by others. Learning takes time. It takes practice. Learning also depends on the will. The first rule of all learning is that the learners who learn the most are the ones who want to learn.

3. Final Comment

It is up to you to put these disciplines into practice

It is interesting, even if you are not willing to take the facts, to attend to what Senge proposed, to take it into account, maybe it can be useful, maybe it can even be beneficial in our personal lives.

But this, of course, will always be to the extent that it is swallowed, accepted or taken, adapting it to one's own need, belief, values, or… it is discarded, but if so, why not reflect on the above?

The question is, are we interested in creating, being part of an organization that learns and grows with it?

4. Sources