In this presentation 10 transformations are described that all organizations must undergo to become a true learning organization. This is needed to rapidly adapt to changing contexts. These contexts change faster and faster due to social media. By following these 10 transformations, an organization is more adapted to this new changing (social media) context and can learn just like any individual person can.

1. the learning
organization
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2011
Total Active Media
Martijn Arts @arts118

2. Organizations are history. Start
thinking organic and organize!
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3. Inside =
Outside
An organization should not make a
difference between inside and outside.
You draw your customers inside and
your employees blog and twitter
outside. No more secrets, just
transparency. The advantage you had in
the old days by secretly developing
ideas internally, that same advantage
you now have by adopting openness
and honesty and by looking for
interaction with partners and with the
market. And the market will interact
with you. The public assists in product
development, in service and in brand
distribution.
Learning tip #1: Do not write internal
documents, but create everything as if
it should be presented or published
publically.

4. Control ƒ
Direction
You do not control an orchestra, but
you direct it. The same goes for a film
crew. And for a flock of sheep‚ ... A
group of individuals, animals as well as
people, do not like to be controlled.
However, they do accept direction.
With the correct vision and objective
the director plays along with
developments and events and
capitalizes on the movements of the
group. Anyhow the group will proceed
in the right direction, fluidly and
continuously.
Learning tip #2: Let everyone be free
on social media and impose only 1 rule
"be social and responsible only and
follow each other".

5. Incident ƒ
Continuous
Too often and increasingly more often
people only react to incidents.
Organizations stumble from one
incident into another. Incident
management has always been tricky,
but now with the viral distribution
possibilities of the social media it has
become a true art. Instead of focusing
on incidents people could better focus
on creating a reputation and this
requires vision, leadership and
perseverance. Qualities that demand
continuous attention and discipline.
Learning tip #3: Implement no isolated
solution for an isolated problem but
always try to let a new routine spring
from it. For example: "everything that
can be settled within one minute must
be settled immediately and should not
appear on a to-do list".

6. Isolated ƒ
Embedded
Focus is good but also results in a
narrow view of reality. This is exactly
what often happens if a problem or a
need is detected within an
organization. Often these are isolated,
just as the person or the team that is
lined up to tackle the issue. Instead of
isolating a problem, a need, a person
or a team, within a dynamic and
complex world it often is better to
embed them in a (learning)
organization at appropriate locations
or even everywhere. Following this
train of thought item 3 represents the
“what” and this item the “how”: How
do you achieve continuity..
Learning tip #4: Dismantle the
communication department, do not
call them communication managers
but communication advisors and
spread them throughout the company
and incorporate them in the line.

7. Delegated ƒ
Committed
With his invention of “scientific
Management” also known as
Taylorism, Frederick Taylor has taught
us to delegate. And so did all
management books after him. And that
is difficult because ‘to delegate is
something you have to learn’. But what
is the use of delegated responsibility if
you still have to check the work
extensively afterwards, as is often the
case in practice? Instead of delegating,
people should rather be committed to
an identical objective or a desired
result.
Learning tip #5: Before you ask
someone else to do something, ask
yourself if you should not do it
yourself. If this is not the case, then
first formulate the question as a
briefing in an e-mail. A good briefing
requires commitment to achieve the
solution.

8. Distributed ƒ
Integrated
The distribution of tasks and work is a
skill in itself. And many learned
organization experts have described all
kinds of specialisms. Every single one
of these specialisms is definitely
valuable, but in the current cross-
media and cross-channel world in
which work becomes more and more
multi-disciplinary, distribution of tasks
and expertises is increasingly less
often a solution. Distribution of tasks
and expertises often results in faulty
connections between cases. The
integration of specialisms often results
in more productive and more efficient
processes. And better results.
Learning tip #6: Start every week with
all people of your group, unit or with a
joint session in which everyone
indicates his/her challenge for that
week: thus you create an integrated
team.

9. Projects ƒ
Programs
A project is characterized by a start
and an end. The project leader and the
project team start it and they finish it.
Today a product, a website or a
campaign is no longer finished at go-
live. There is continuous work
involved: "The continuo beta". So there
should be no steering on projects and
their continuity.
Learning tip #7: Rename project
managers into program managers and
no longer finish any project without
the presence of a long-lasting business
case or follow-up planning.

10. Consolidation ƒ
Transformation
Actually it is strange that in a dynamic
world that changes continuously, an
organization often speaks of
consolidation. Of course getting
familiar with new learned matters is
important, but consolidation inhibits
the learning capacity of the
organization. Instead of steering and
managing by consolidation,
transformation should be leading.
Change! In other words..
Learning tip #8: Do not have initiators
of new ideas defend themselves, but
let those who criticise these ideas do
so. Every meeting again.

11. Structure ƒ
Culture
Thousands of books have been written
about (organization) structures. And
consultancy organizations have made
big money out of it. There is a
structure for all processes and for all
types of organizations. As it is the
implementation of a structure seems
to be an objective on its own.
However, structure is not an objective
but a means. And this means must be
deployed to achieve the desired
culture and the desire to maintain the
wish to change. For all other matters
only choices and clarity are necessary,
not structure.
Learning tip #9: Determine what is the
collective (internal and external)
assessment of the culture and
subsequently remove one centrally
constructed structure or consultation
every quarter and measure again.Your
progress will not falter.

12. Staf ƒ
Core
Organizations that have distributed,
delegated, consolidated and isolated
often have large staffs and staff
departments. They are all very busy
with extremely important work. Thus
the distance between the staff
departments and the core process
becomes increasingly larger. This
causes bureaucracy and paralysis.
Whereas on the other hand every
organization once started with its core
business. Exactly this represents the
added value and the passion. This is
why you want to work there, be their
customer and know more about it.
And because you want to know more
about it, you are constantly looking for
it and you share that knowledge. This
is exactly the intrinsic learning of the
organization.
Learning tip #10: Make sure that
everyone within the organization has
productivity objectives and measure
them. No exceptions.

13. The liquid organisation
Inside = Outside
Control
ƒ
Direction
Incident
ƒ
Continuous
Isolate
ƒ
Embed
Delegate
ƒ
Commit
Distribute
ƒ
Integrate
Projects
ƒ
Programs
Consolidation
ƒ
Transformation
Structure
ƒ
Culture
© TOTAL IDENTITY
Staff
ƒ
Core

14. Organizations are history. Start
thinking organic and organize!
@arts118
© TOTAL IDENTITY

15. @arts118
© TOTAL IDENTITY
2011
Total Active Media
Martijn Arts @arts118