This document discusses knowledge-based governance and organizational learning for improved performance in local governments. It proposes using action research and action learning approaches to move from data to wisdom. This involves analyzing governance practices to build capacity for continuous quality improvement through learning leadership. The goal is evidence-based policies and services rather than ideological approaches. Action learning and research contribute to capacity building by being change-oriented, reflective, cyclic, qualitative, and participative. This helps answer four leadership questions to enhance individual, institutional and systems-based learning for continued performance improvement.

1. Knowledge Based Governance
Turning the Kaleidoscope:
From Data to Wisdom Through Learning
Leadership
Prof Erwin Schwella SPL
Public Leadership Forum

2. The Destination and Road Map
• Towards good municipal governance using
action research and action learning
• From data to information to knowledge and
wisdom
• From problems to purpose
• Using evidence and experience towards
learning leadership for performance
• Democracy as an example of a learning
organisation

3. The Destination and Road Map
• Policies and service delivery based upon ideas
and evidence, rather than on ideology and
emotion
• From partisan, parochial and populist politics,
on the one hand to professional prudent
policy-making and service delivery
• Ideas- and evidence-based governance benefit
from knowledge, learning and innovation

4. The Destination and Road Map
• This then benefits democratic good
governance for effective and ethical policy-
making and service delivery
• Effective and ethical governance requires:
– processes to enhance organisation learning (OL),
– knowledge management (KM) for change and
– innovation

5. The Road Side Attractions
• Build individual and institutional capacity to
improve organisational performance.
• In this process of knowledge-based learning
for good governance,
– action learning and
– action research approaches
• Indicated to improve local government
performance

6. The Road Side Attractions
• Action learning and action research
– Governance practices are analysed in order to
learn and to build capacity towards team and
systems-based continuous quality improvement,
– Pursued consciously and continuously
– Use action learning as an educational strategy
used in a group setting that seeks to:
• generate learning from human interaction
• arising from engagement in the solution of real-time
(not simulated) work problems

7. • Action learning contributes to institutional
capacity-building and improved performance
by being:
– Change oriented, embedded in action and
intended to bring about improvement, or
implement some worthwhile initiative.
• In action learning, the action and the learning are
integrated and not separated . Whilst participants
introduce change, they learn.
– Mindful, thoughtful and observant

8. • Action learning is critically reflective before, during and after
the action on which the learning is based.
• Pay attention to what happens, and analyse actions and the
consequences
• Mindfulness and critical reflection improves both the action
and the learning.
– Cyclic, involving a spiral of cycles of planning, action
(implementing the plans, observing the results of the
action, systematically reflecting on the result and then
re-planning, further implementation, observing and
then reflecting again).

9. • Qualitative, using natural language for the action
and learning
– Within an action learning program, understanding
develops through informed and evidence-based
discussion
– The form of language is supportive and at the same
time questioning
– Robust and reflective learning dialogue enhancing
action and learning
• Participative, the deliberately intended result is
real-time change and improvement.

10. • Action learning therefore relies on the
participation and commitment of those
affected by it.
• Organisational learners are actively involved in
the process, although the extent of
participation may vary.
• Greater participation can certainly yield richer
and more comprehensive information, and
more commitment to the action.

11. • The four leadership-learning-for-performance
questions
• Related to action and learning for continued
performance improvement
• Subsequently results in learning-based
systemic individual, institutional learning and
systems-based capacity building, are:

12. • What happened? –
– Answer to this question results in a systematic
descriptive qualitative and quantitative
assessment of performance and performance
trends based on empirical evidence
– Results in the referred to assessment of
relevance for the particular situation

13. • Why did this happen? - the answer to this
question results in a diagnostic analysis based
upon provisional explanations of actions and
what these actions cause in terms of results
related to increasing or decreasing
performance

14. • What can I/we learn from this?
– Lessons derived from answering this question
relates to improved individual learning
– Contributes to personal mastery, team learning
and systems thinking
– Challenging current mental models through
deliberative empowerment and team learning

15. • How can the learning be used and built back
into the system to improve the quality and
performance of the system?
– Answer to this question results in answers that
enhance prognostic institutional capacity building
for continuous performance improvement.

16. Arriving Home after Having been
There and Back