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Four Questions
Chris Conjurski
College of Charleston
PRST-334-01: Developing and Managing a Learning Organization
Professor Bob Schaumann
June 10th, 2023
Chris, as you had me before, you just know that I expect correct APA format.
Overall, looks good, but you want your page number to respect the 1” margin, too. For
the first assignment, this is considered a “teaching moment,” as I want you to demonstrate
correct APA7 format in your next assignments. Thus, no subtraction of points for THIS paper,
and you will see your evaluation will be 0.6/0.6 (full credit, which for APA format is 10% of
your grade).
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Abstract
We should all strive to work in a company and/or industry that strives to learn. That has a culture
of learning, which embraces learning and that allows and encourages learning. Did I mention
learning? I have worked for many companies in my life and all with different approaches and
values on being a learning organization. Some were great and some not so great at this important
facet of business. In being a part of the World’s Greatest Navy, I often took learning for granted.
I was young when I joined and did not have much experience beforehand, or at least not much
experience with a fully functioning, developed adult brain. My current company, and CEO, has
me really reflecting on my past companies and what they did, or did not, do when it came to
being a learning organization.
Keywords: learning, CEO, organization, culture
Good Abstract in APA format.
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Four Questions
Being part of the World’s Greatest Navy for twenty years, I really had no idea how much
value they had put on learning. Looking back on it now, it is embarrassingly obvious. I joined the
Navy because I did not want to go to college. At all. Even a little bit. Hence, why I am forty-two
and still finding it a challenge every semester. When joining the Navy, the first thing they told
me was that I would go to an “A school.” This was a school to teach you the basics of your job,
and something the Navy guaranteed everyone. I thought to myself, “big deal” and “great. At least
it will be short.”
This was the beginning of continued schooling, learning and education beyond grade school
that would last my lifetime. As a nuclear power plant operator, the next 20 years of my life
would be consumed with continued learning. I really picked the wrong job for a kid who hated
school. I went from one extreme of not wanting to learn, formally, anything ever again, to going
to the most intensive school and continuous learning jobs the Navy has. However, I took it for
granted. There was no way the Navy would be ahead of any “normal” company out there, right?
When I finished my military service, I quickly found a job in production management at a
place that repaired valves for the Navy. Soon after, I found another similar job but for electric
motors and then, again, another job but this time managing people who repaired recreational
boats and yachts. In all of these three separate companies, I quickly realized the Navy’s focus
and attention to learning was unique. At least, more unique than I had thought. Was I ever going
to find another career and company like it?
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I needed to find another company and fast. It seemed many of my military colleagues, my
wife included, had found success in the program management field. I thought I might as well try
it, and although the Navy was so unique, and I would never find another job like it, I might as
well have one that only has one or two customers who can yell at me instead of three hundred.
Could I re-join the Navy at 42? I supposed not. I better keep looking.
Luckily, my resume was passed to a company CEO who gave me a call right away. He could
see the value in what the Navy had taught me and brought me up as. As what? Yet, he was never
in the military. How could he know? It was curious for sure. I took the interview and prepared
myself. This time I was going to ask the right questions. After three years and three separate
companies, I was ready to find the right one.
The four questions: How do you value learning on the job? What are you doing to
ensure your employees are learning? How will you know if they are learning? What will a
learning organization mean for the future of this company? Glad to see that you have included
measurement! If I could ask these questions, and the answers were sufficient, it might be worth
the leap. I needed to know that the next 20 years of my career would be like the last 20 years of
my career. I directly saw the impact of an organization that valued and pushed learning vice those
that did not. One question you could ask is: “What has our company done to demonstrate its
commitment to being a learning organization from the very top to the very bottom. Examples?”
As I attended the interview, nervous as most are, the CEO did not ask so many questions but
began to tell me about the company, the role, and the project I would be managing. When he did
ask questions, the first few were “what school are you going to?” “What degree is it for?” “What
is your plan after you obtain the degree?” “Do you have any certifications for other things you
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have learned?” He was really probing me on my willingness, ability, and desire to learn. He was
not asking me what I knew, or what I could do. Only what I was willing to know and willing to
learn how to do. It spoke volumes. I liked his questions.
I did not even need to ask my four questions. Throughout the interview, if that is what you
want to call it, he continued to impress me with his philosophy and vision for the company. Once
I answered the questions about the status of my college and certifications, he mentioned he pays
for continued education and certifications, and specifically wanted me to get one, and it was not
a suggestion. Learning was going to be part of my job once again. The real test will be seeing if
this is all good to be true, or if the company reflects exactly what I experienced in the interview.
I left the interview with one question, why have they been around for 19 years and have only
grown to forty people? You might want to ask that question if given the opportunity.
I went home and immediately started to research the company and the CEO. Again, why are
they so small? He, and the company, seem top notch. How come this firm has not grown as fast
as my wife’s firm? They seem just as good if not better. I discovered a great interview with the
CEO in which he discussed some of his philosophies. While it had not answered the question as
to why they were small, it did corroborate what I experienced in the interview. He told the
interviewer things like not starting a business just to start one but because “I’m interested in this,
and I need to solve this problem.” In addition, “We try and solve problems customers tried in the
past” and could not.
My first week was coming up and it would be time to see if this were all talk or if I would see
it all in action. Was this truly a learning organization? Would I finally find the place I belonged
after the Navy? I would find out, find out more than I thought I would, and we will continue this
journey together in the assignments to come.
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I enjoyed reading your first assignment, Chris, and realize it was your first week in your
new position. I offered some comments throughout relative to your company, as a learning
organization, as well as your writing and correct use of APA format,
I offered some an additional question that I hoped you would consider asking. Let’s see
if you asked it in your SECOND assignment… or something similar.
As you look at yourself and what you wish to learn, by asking others who have
experience... reading scholarly articles... watching what your competitors are doing.... seeking
insight from your professors, you will gain the additional knowledge that you seek and that helps
your company to excel.
Content:
4.5/4.8 points
APA Format
0.6/0.6 points
Writing:
0.57/0.60 points
Evaluation: 5.65/6.00 Points
References
Frampton, A. F. (2017, January 17). For modus 21’s Woodhull, tech consulting is about solving
puzzles. Charleston Digital Corridor.
https://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/news/1484585680341-modus-21s-woodhulltech-consulting-solving-puzzles/
Not quite. Your “hanging indent” should be one-half inch… not three-eighths of an inch.
You want EXACT double-spacing. What I see is greater than EXACT double-spacing,
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Smoke and Mirrors
Chris Conjurski
College of Charleston
PRST-334-01: Developing and Managing a Learning Organization
Professor Bob Schaumann
June 10th, 2023
Abstract
After a successful interview and hiring process, I was ready to embark on a new career chapter. I
was ready to find out what was and was not smoke and mirrors from the research I had done on
the company and from what the CEO and Human Resources representative had told me. After
the first few days, things were looking positive. I was prepared to ask my four questions at some
point, but my observations far outweighed any trust I had in someone’s answers. After speaking
with both the CEO and CFO on being a learning organization, things looked better. After
observing employee interactions, CEO daily activities and speaking with these employees, things
seemed too good to be true. They really were living the subsystems of learning, organization,
knowledge, people, and technology. (
Keywords: learning, subsystems, interview
The Abstract belong on the next page… and not on the same page as your Cover Page.
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Smoke and Mirrors
Monday morning, 8am, I walk into my new life. I think to myself that this will be my last
attempt at finding a second career after leaving the military. I have recently started a small
business at home and my spouse is doing very well in her company, so I have the opportunity to
be selective and take some more risks at this company. I am hopeful after the interview process
and any research I could do between the first call from Human Resources and this first day.
Could it be too good to be true though? I have been duped in the past and was “sold” a position
more than interviewed. This interview, like all, was also different in that I was not asked many
questions, but it did not feel like a sales pitch this time, either.
The CEO and human resources representative talked about helping me get certifications,
pay for college, and were extremely interested in the specifics of my in-process college degree
and what I was actually learning. These were all green flags for me. They seemed genuinely
interested in my learning and talked of how it would help the company. I met the client this first
week as well, and the first thing he told me was he liked how this company hired. It was hard to
get more meaning out of that statement from him, but my impression was he liked how the
company hired smart people who had a thirst for learning. A thirst for being better.
Indent the first sentence in all paragraphs one-half inch.
Before my first week and my upcoming interview I would be conducting on senior
management, I had read an interview of my CEO. There were many insightful nuggets of
information I received from this reading. The CEO was able to say the right things, but not in a
way that seemed fake or disingenuous. You could tell he honestly believed what he was saying.
One quote that struck me in particular and one that I feel really embodies the topics of our
assignments this week was, “I like to give people challenges and see them rise to the occasion. I
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provide mentoring and counseling to people, but I am not an active, hands-on manager. I will sit
down with someone and say, “Here’s a problem,” or, “Here’s something that needs to get done.
Are you interested in taking this on?” And then I will ask, “How do you think you could do
this?” or, “how do you think you need to approach this problem?” What I like to do is come back
and check on that on a regular and consistent basis, but not every day” (Frampton, 2017). Where
does this quotation of Frampton begin? You closed the quotaton, but where did you begin it.
This clearly showed me, assuming it was not smoke and mirrors for the interviewer of this
industry magazine, that learning was not only a priority for this CEO and company, but that he
was brilliant in the way he approached the concept. He encouraged, mentored, and let people
learn and then came back to monitor progress and help where he saw fit. When I specifically
asked the CEO my four questions, he gave a similar and brief response. That learning is the
foundation of everything this company is and all he needed and wanted from people he hired was
ones that could and would learn.
The CEO mentioned his love of puzzles and solving problems. That the company was based
solely on the concept of solving problems. He did not mention it in our discussion, but when I
walked by a small table outside of his office, there were a couple of puzzle games on it. It was as
if it were as a display piece, not a “come play with me” table. Funny enough, one puzzle game I
had never heard of was Modus -the very game after which he named his company. I soon
received training on a proprietary system he developed when he started the company. Their
“Methodology” on how to solve problems and help clients. Yet, another learning tool in their
arsenal.
I then talked with the CFO and HR representative in the CFO’s office, and I asked the same
questions. Their response was quick and almost the same as the CEO. Their entire reason for
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working there was to teach and train employees, and help employees figure out how to learn. It is
as if I were hired at this company specifically to complete the college course! Never had I had
seen so much emphasis on learning and building better people, technology, knowledge, and
organization and then started a course on these exact concepts.
Of course, as the theme of this story suggests, could this all be smoke and mirrors? It is one
thing to say it and another to live it and prove it. They have delivered in proving it so far as well.
For instance, as the CFO and HR representative let me know the CFO is always available to help
with my budget and that his door is “always open,” I thought to myself, “sure, everyone says
that.” The very next day, day two at the company, he pulled me into his office for an hour to go
over everything he could teach me about my specific budget. He then did it again on day three.
Then again on day five. Not only is he living up to his word, but he has also made me feel more
prepared for any job I have ever been in. Very interesting!!!
As I waited for my turn with the CEO, as he told me he wanted to go over my project and job
with me personally, I watched him as he spent hour after hour with each employee on their
specific project. Being engaged, helping, asking probing questions, and being an equal team
member more than a boss. I was floored. This man, with all the responsibilities of running a
company with hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts, spent most of his time
being a peer. He did not, however, make the line ever fade from his actual position in the
company. We all know who the boss is.
If after what I have experienced in just the first week of employment here continues, I think I
have found my second career after Naval service. They have not only spoken about being an
organization that values learning, but they have also proved and demonstrated they are a
company that backs up what they say. Can I say unequivocally that after only a week I still was
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not just seeing a lot of smoke and mirrors? Of course not, but I have also never been to a place
where every employee has told me how much they love it.
References
Frampton, A. F. (2017, January 17). For Modus 21’s Woodhull, tech consulting is about solving
puzzles. Charleston Digital Corridor.
https://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/news/1484585680341-modus-21s-woodhulltech-consulting-solving-puzzles/
Marquardt, M. J. (2011). In Building the learning organization (3rd ed.). essay, Nicholas Brealey
Publishing.
Visit RESOURCES and download the APA Format Guidelines (APA7) – note that the
spacing within and between each reference is EXACTLY double-spaces… that the “hanging
indent is one-half inch – not three eighths of an inch. Here is how this should appear.
References
Frampton, A. F. (2017, January 17). For Modus 21’s Woodhull, tech consulting is about solving
puzzles. Charleston Digital Corridor.
https://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/news/1484585680341-modus-21s-woodhulltech-consulting-solving-puzzles/
Marquardt, M. J. (2011). In Building the learning organization (3rd ed.). essay, Nicholas Brealey
Publishing.
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In an ideal world, Chris, you would be able to set up a meeting with your CEO or a senior
VP-level individual. Some companies even have a CLO (Chief Learning Officer), who is
responsible for professional development, training, etc.
The truth is that it is not an ideal world, but you were able to meet WITH senior
management. The BENEFITS of being at a small company!
The concepts behind the creation and development of a learning organization start at the
top. Thus, as an outcome of your meeting, I realize that you might gain wonderful information
or "deer in the headlights" looks and/or smoke blown up your backside, depending on your
company and its AWARENESS of being truly a "learning organization."
The intent of the SECOND assignment was to have you learn your company's
management AWARENESS, its VISION, its PLAN, etc., relative to maintaining its environment
as a "learning organization or to become one.
Some questions that would have been interesting to pose… and I have shared these with
the class for comparison purposes when coming up with the list.
What importance does management place on the company being known within the
industry as a "learning organization" and what clear direction has been given by management to
ensure the creation of learning organization? In effect, what has been done in the past, what is
being done now, and what are the plans for the future? What does senior management see as the
positives of the present approach to being a "learning organization" (e.g., critical to its future
growth?), and where do they see the tasks on which an investment still need to be made in order
to become a "learning organization" that is exemplary?
Another good question is to ask is how employees see the company as a learning
organization? How does management know what the employees feel... and do employees even
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reflect on the importance of their company developing as a learning organization? Lastly, for
whatever learning programs are in place and/or being considered, how does the company know
that the learning that is taking place is effective? How do they know, and how do they measure
this effectiveness?
Okay, that all having been said, please reflect on what might have been their answers to
the questions that I posed above. If you were to approach your fellow employees and ask them,
"Do we have a learning organization?" would they see management as embracing this or would
they see management embracing or not embracing something else?
Content:
4.60 /4.80 points
APA Format
0.60/0.60 points
Writing:
0.52/0.60 points
EVALUATION:
5.72/6.00 Points 82.3%
5.65 +5.72 =
11.37/12.00 Points