What is key in a learning culture?

I have always been fond of Schein's work on organizational culture. His timeless theories provide many relevant insights for today's complex and dynamic environments.

One of his key messages is that we need to balance the strength and flexibility of our culture to foster unity and learning. To achieve this, we need to access and understand the underlying assumptions and beliefs that shape our perceptions and behaviors. These are often hidden or taken for granted, but they are the core that influences how we interact and coordinate work with others.

Reaching an organization's underlying assumptions and beliefs can be challenging, but it is certainly achievable. It requires deeper, more meaningful conversations where we discover the true meanings behind people's opinions and statements.

Research and my own experience suggest that we don't engage in deep and meaningful dialogues that can expose and challenge these assumptions. Instead, we tend to stay at a superficial and monological level, which prevents us from achieving a strong learning culture.

As a result, as we fail to go into the necessary depths to influence this critical dimension, we miss the opportunity to learn from each other's perspectives and therefore align our values and goals.

That's why we need to develop more effective collaboration skills and practices to help us reach the core of our culture and use its potential for inclusion, innovation, and growth.

Thank you for reading!

Mari

#organizationalculture #learningculture #impactfulcollaboration