This document discusses the concept of a learning organization and its key components. It defines a learning organization as one where people continually expand their capacity to achieve desired results through new thinking and shared learning. The five main components of a learning organization are systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. Assessment tools and techniques for learning organizations are also presented.

1. ACE - School Leadership
Assessment for Learning,
Assessment for Impact
Dr Muavia Gallie (PhD)
10 September 2009
MGSLG - Benoni Office
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1.1 Focus on Teaching
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2. 1.2 Misguided Indicators
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1.3 Focus on Learning
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3. 2.1 Peter Senge
The Fifth Discipline, 1990
“In the long run, the only
sustainable source of
competitive advantage is
your organization’s ability to
learn faster than its
competition.”
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2.2
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4. 2.3 Extrinsic vs Intrinsic
Motivation
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2.4 A Learning Organisation
★ “Organization where people continually expand their
capacity to create the result they truly desire, where new
and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where
collective aspiration is set free, and where people are
continually learning how to learn together” - Senge 1990;
★ “A learning organization is an organization skilled at
creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at
modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and
insights.” Garvin 1993;
★ A learning organization is an organisation that has an
enhanced capacity to learn, adapt and change.” Gephart
et al 1996.
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5. 2.5 The Laws of the Fifth Discipline
1. Today’s problems come from yesterday’s “solutions”;
2. The harder you push, the harder they system pushes back;
3. Behavior grows better before its grows worse;
4. The easy way out usually leads back in;
5. The cure can be worse than the disease;
6. Faster is slower;
7. Cause and effect are not closely related in time and space;
8. Small changes can produce big results - but the areas of highest leverage
are often the least obvious;
9. You can have your cake and eat it too - but not at once;
10. Dividing an elephant in half does not produce two small elephants;
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11. There is not blame.
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2.6 Components of Learning Organisation
1. Systems thinking;
2. Personal mastery;
3. Mental models;
4. Building shared vision;
5. Team learning
The Fifth Discipline = Systems Thinking
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6. 2.7 Systems Thinking
• The conceptual cornerstone that
underlies all of the five learning
disciplines;
• A discipline for seeing wholes;
• Seeing structures that underlie complex
situations;
• Seeing interrelationships rather than
linear cause and effect chains;
• Seeing processes of change rather
than snapshots.
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7. 2.9 Personal Mastery
• The spirit of the Learning
Organization;
• Organizations learn only through
individuals who learn;
• Individual learning does not
guarantee organizational learning,
but without it, no organizational
learning can occur;
• Personal Vision;
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2.9.1 Creative Tension
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8. 2.9.2 Structural Conflict
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2.10 Mental Models
• Why Best Ideas fail;
• Conflict with deeply held internal
images of how the world works;
• Mental models determine how we
take action;
• Mental models are so powerful -
because they affect what we see.
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9. 2.11 Shared Vision
• A Common Caring;
• A shared vision is a vision that
many people are truly committed to
and it reflects their own personal
vision;
• Helps establish overarching goals;
• Provides a rudder to keep the
learning process on course when
stresses develop.
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2.11.1 Getzels and Guba Model
(when Role meets Systems Theory)
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10. 2.11.2
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2.11.3 Five Basic Assumptions of
Effective Schools
1. The central purpose of a school is to teach;
2. The school is responsible for providing the overall
environment;
3. Schools must be treated holistically in terms of
instruction (unity);
4. The most crucial characteristics of a school are the
attitudes and behaviours of the teachers and staff;
5. The school accepts responsibility for the success
and failure of the academic performance of20learners
- all learners are capable of learning.
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11. 2.12 Team Learning
• The fundamental learning unit is
the team;
• Alignment - it is a necessary
condition before empowering the
individual will empower the whole
team.
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2.12.1 Aligning the Team
A B C 22
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12. 2.12.2
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2.13 Five Building Blocks
(Garvin 1993)
1. Systemic problem solving;
2. Experimentation with new knowledge;
3. Learning from experience;
4. Learning from the experience and best
practice of others;
5. Transferring knowledge quickly and
efficiently throughout the organization.
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13. 2.14 Eleven characteristics of LO
Pedlar et al 1995
1. A learning approach to strategy;
2. Participatory policy making;
3. Information for learning at employee’s fingertips;
4. Formative accounting and control;
5. Internal exchange of ideas and information;
6. Rewards for flexibility;
7. Enabling structures with supportive systems;
8. Boundary workers as environmental scanners watching for
change outside the organization;
9. Inter-organizational learning;
10. A learning climate; and
11. Self-development opportunities for all.
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2.15 LO Assessment Tools
Authors Tool Content Methodology
Watkins and Dimensions of LO Leadership, structures, Self-assessment (i.e.
Marsick Questionnaire systems, communication, Organizational members
technology assess the organization
against criteria). Likert scale
format.
Pedler, Characteristics of a LO Leadership, structures, Self-assessment. Likert
Burgoyne, systems, communication, scale format.
Boydell technology, learning methods
Dioxin Learning Competencies Communication and Self-assessment. Likert
Organizational Survey Information systems scale format.
Nevis, DiBella Organization Learning Team learning, vision/ Assessment by researchers.
and Gould Inventory strategy/ structure Likert scale format.
communication
Richards and learning Organization Learning processes, mission/ Self-assessment. Likert
Goh Survey vision, processes, systems, scale format.
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leadership
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14. 2.16 LO Scorecard: Logic Model
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2.17 The Learning Organisation
★ Encourages Continuous Learning
★ Promotes Access to Learning
★ Maximizes Information Sharing
★ Increases Flexible Access to
Training
★ Works Efficiently Using
Interactive Relationships
★ Sees the Big Picture
★ Shares a Common Vision
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15. 3.
Teaching
as Learning
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3.1 Learning Activity Components
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16. 3.2 Types of Learning Outcomes
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3.3 Teaching and Learning Models
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17. 3.4 Assessment Task Type
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3.5 Assessment Task
Technique
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18. 3.5 Task Roles & Interaction
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3.6 Task Tools
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19. 3.7 Assessment Techniques
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