Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare Training Program
Center for Excellence
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Organizational Effectiveness Pre-session Reading
Leadership Academy Topic:
Organization Effectiveness
Date:
October 13, 2004
Time:
9 a.m. -12:00 noon
Location:
PCYA meeting at Seven Springs
What Does Your Learning Organization Look Like?
In the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, three of the authors – Charlotte Roberts, Rick Ross,
and Art Kleiner—detail a six step process to create a vision of your learning organization.
As it’s defined in the book, “Learning in organizations means the continuous testing of
experience, and the transformation of that experience into knowledge—accessible to the
whole organization and relevant to its core purpose.”
Step One:
Imagine that you are working in the type of learning organization (or “quality”, “ideal”,
or “great” organization) you would like to build. Answer the following three questions
with that vision in mind:
 What policies, events, or aspects of behavior in this new organization will help it
thrive and succeed?
 How do people behave inside the organization? How do they interact with the
outside world?
 What are some of the differences between this ideal organization and the
organization for which you work now?
Roberts, Ross, and Kleiner suggest that you write brief answers in the present tense, as if
you are in the organization now. (i.e.- People eagerly come to work vs. People will
come to work more eagerly.) They also suggest that you be specific and use examples,
details, images, and possibilities that cross your mind.
Step Two:
Think about what others have envisioned as their learning/ideal/great organization. You
might have read something in a business biography on Donald Trump, Jack Welch, Lee
Iacocca, or General Schwartzkoff about their vision. You may have heard something in
training about another child welfare agency’s vision. You might have seen a list of
characteristics of high functioning organizations in your readings or television viewing.
SOURCE: Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, Senge, Ross, Smith, Roberts, Kleiner
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Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare Training Program
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Center for Excellence
Organizational Effectiveness Pre-session Reading
In any case, add those that fit your image of the organization you’d like to create. Once
you’ve done that, number your list of characteristics in preparation for the next step.
Step Three:
Consider each of your step two characteristics. Ask yourself;
 If my agency had these new features, what things would happen as a result?
 What would it bring the organization?
 What would it bring me personally?
As you answer the questions, some elements will command your attention. The authors
suggest that you spend the most time with those elements.
Step Four:
Pick just five characteristics based on your questioning in step three. Pick five that are
most compelling to you and your organization. Roberts, Ross, and Kleiner suggest that
you avoid choosing based on which seem plausible or easy to achieve. In fact, they
suggest you include at least two elements that cause you to think, “ . . . we could never do
that.” Once you’ve made your choices, do any “rewrites” necessary to insure the
phrasing is aligned with the image.
Step Five:
Consider what you have to do in order to achieve these components of your vision. Write
them out . . . . What barriers and obstacles would you have to overcome? Write them
down. What skills and new concepts would you need to accomplish this? Write them
down.
Even though it may be difficult to overcome these obstacles, draft a preliminary set of
ideas and list what stands in your way.
Step Six:
Consider the five primary goals and the obstacles for each. Based on your work so far,
list one or more indicators—a sign or symptom signaling you’ve made progress—for
each set. Whether you work forward to the goal or backward from the goal, your
indicators might serve as benchmarks along the way.
With your plan in mind, what technical assistance or consultant help would be useful to
you?
List any other ways the Center can support your efforts to achieve the federal outcomes
because of a more effective agency and staff.
SOURCE: Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, Senge, Ross, Smith, Roberts, Kleiner
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