The Context for Systems Thinking
Action Learning Teams

The Context

There are five elements that form the context in our approach to Systems Thinking Action Learning Teams. Each one is interdependent with the other four. While some generally occur sequentially, all of them are continuously available for clarity and for achieving the ultimate objective of improving workplace performance.

1. Business Review

The Business Review is a disciplined process for aligning workplace activity to strategic intent. Designing the Business Review begins with a rigorous examination of currrent activity and strategy. Differences between them are the focus of a session that generates future possibilities for closing the gap. (more...)

2. Workplace Goals and Measures: Balanced Scorecard Approach

Workplace Goals and Measures are anchored in the findings of the Business Review to ensure that they are aligned with strategic intent. They are defined using a Balanced Scorecard approach. Over time, results are collected and periodically presented in Executive Review. (more...)

3. Action Learning: The Integration of Work and Learning

The Business Review and Workplace Goals and Measures make clear the expected outcome of work, and the context and rationale for workplace learning. Tight integration between work and learning ensures that the development of skill and knowledge and the application of skill and knowledge are always grounded in reality and performance. (more...)

4. Process Improvement

Learning anchored in workplace performance frequently leads to insights into opportunities to improvement how work is done. Process improvement - the tools applied to the redesign of work - is an integral part of performance.

The productivity of labor has a finite limit. Future gains in productivity and efficiency will come from process improvement and investment in technology. Their success is linked to learning, skill, and knowledge. (more...)

5. Tools and Practices

Tools and practices are methods that increase the capacity to do work and the quality with which it is done. For capacity, they may complete the same work in less time, or increase the work that can be done in the same time. For quality, they anchor innovations and improvements in the design of work itself. Tools and practices are the levers that increase the value of integrating work and learning. (more...)