After all, how can organizations respond creatively to new challenges (shifts in customer preferences, market downturns, technological advances, competitor advances, business innovation) without first identifying new growth tools and resources and then altering the way they operate to reflect new insights. Without learning, companies repeat old practices, make cosmetic changes, and produce short-lived improvements. To transform your teams and company into a learning organization, AdvancingDiversity.org has acquired rights to the tools perfected by a Harvard Business School team led by David A. Garvin, focused on Building a Learning Organization. Garvin recommends mastering five techniques, which are organized in the AdvancingDiversity.org team survey: Is Yours a Learning Organization?
Garvin's five techniques are:
- Solving problems systematically
- Experimenting with new approaches to work
- Learning from past experiences
- Learning from other companies and customers
- Transferring knowledge throughout your organization
"Woven into the fabric of your company's daily operations, these activities help your organization make enduring improvements that translate directly into measurable gains, including superior quality, better delivery, and increased market share." MediaVillage. The Myers Report and AdvancingDiversity.org provide our members with the tools and resources to implement against these five techniques and assure yours is a learning organization.