Process Improvement
Process improvement for performance and learning.
The Big Picture
A critical understanding germane to Systems Thinking Action Learning Teams is the difference between the productivity of labor and the productivity of capital. The real and finite limits of the former can only be expanded with the application of the latter.
Capital investment brings the future to the present in many ways - facilities, equipment, technology, and the design of work. Action learning teams are most interested in the latter.
Process Improvement
A considerable array of tools and methods are available for improving processes in the workplace - Root Cause Analysis, Systems Dynamics, Lean, 5S, Six Sigma, Work Flow Analysis, and the like. The benefit of using a Systems Thinking approach to Action Learning is access to a broad framework in which tools and methods are selected.
A sigfnificant dimension of the "Action" stage of Systems Thinking Action Learning is the analysis and discussion of the various tools and methods that exist in the context of the team'ss workplace focus. This consistent attention to the role of learning in the continuum of Strategy > Goals > Performance > Results ensures that Process Improvement is always targeted and relevant.
The scope of Process Improvement will vary by the purpose, focus, and scope of each Action LEarning team. It remais=ns, however, a significant element in the work of Systems Thinking Action Learning teams.