MANAGING LEARNING

　　For learning to be effective, the learning process and its outcome can be perceived as a capability or resource. As with any capability or resource it needs to be managed. To optimise this learning we can categorise the issues to manage as soft and hard issues. The hard includes policy and process; the soft includes mainly people and social networking.

　　These hard issues that require management start with the use of the analytical tools, mechanisms and facilities through which learning can occur.

　　The first tool to use is a stakeholder analysis, such as Mendelow's matrix or classifying stakeholders as internal, connected or external. From this we can identify who has the most significant influence on the thinking of individuals and can influence them to think differently, an essential part of the learning process - for example, learning from the customer via customer feedback, the manager learning via performance management and the board from their strategic success and failures.

　　Feedback is the most freely available, continuous source of efficient and effective learning that exists in organisations, when used positively and productively. Some feedback mechanisms are： appraisal systems - for example, 360-degree employee appraisals, performance metrics, such as using the balance scorecard, e-marketing (for example, social websites, virtual communities and forums)。 Feedback and its effect on organisational behaviour needs to be considered when implementing any feedback method as it can be used as contribution to the no-blame culture or the opposite that would create an insecure environment.

　　At the operational level, meetings and technology are the general practical methods employed to allow people to get work done. The issue with these types of methods are their level of formality or (in)flexibility and the other issue is the level of system integration that exists. If the systems are not integrated - ie they are silo systems - there is no platform for learning or sharing. For example, at the level of reporting, the integrated reporting systems, by design, ensures that various sources of information from across the enterprise and the people within it are connected and the information then shared.

　　Systems need to be built to capture, store, categorise and disseminate information and knowledge. The systems also need to detect anomalies. With that the organisation needs to ensure availability of systems analysis expertise, to review what goes wrong, learn from it and feed that learning back into the system.

　　Another hard element to be analysed for its contribution to facilitate learning is the organisational structure. These are the structures within which people work and that defines their roles, in a somewhat limiting manner. These can be redrawn as social network diagrams that facilitate a way to allow people interact, which might then design and assign members to various cross-functional teams.

　　Some formal tools and techniques that are helpful to drive learning are as follows：

　　·reverse scenario building (which is a method of identifying the opportunity the organisation wishes to pursue and then build the scenario backwards from that optimum position, in order to establish what has to be implemented, to maximise this opportunity)

　　·a mass media channel - for example, a company newsletter to spark new ideas and which is open to suggestions and which can inform of what is happening in other areas.