Homework answers / question archive / A lot of these topics so far have really taken some thought and research, and thus far I have taken quite a few new and interesting tidbits After reading through the material this week I have come to understand that “learning organizations” are essentially skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization

A lot of these topics so far have really taken some thought and research, and thus far I have taken quite a few new and interesting tidbits After reading through the material this week I have come to understand that “learning organizations” are essentially skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization

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A lot of these topics so far have really taken some thought and research, and thus far I have taken quite a few new and interesting tidbits After reading through the material this week I have come to understand that “learning organizations” are essentially skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Each of these main activities is accompanied by a distinctive mind -set, tool kit, and/or pattern of behavior. Obviously many companies practice these activities to some degree, but few are consistently successful because they rely largely on spur of the moment addressing of the issues. By creating systems and processes that support these activities and integrate them into the fabric of daily operations, companies can manage their learning more effectively. Throughout my readings I’ve noticed that these processes have helped managers specifically in some choice company’s tackle the ever changing business environment. Organizations that seemed to abide by these five main activities such as Honda and General Electric have, by contrast, become adept at taking new knowledge and turning it into new ways of behaving. These companies actively manage the learning process to ensure that it occurs by design rather than by chance. Distinctive policies and practices are responsible for their success; they form the building blocks of learning organizations. I truly agree with the principle of a learning organization and have had more success and have been generally happier in the organizations that seem to abide by its principles. Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to discussing this more in depth as the week progresses. V/r Reply 2: The concept of a learning organization (LO) was developed in 1990. The theory questioned every aspect of organizational management and claims the “old way” was restricting the intrinsic desire to learn on the job. Peter Senge (2006) states there are, “three learning capabilities: fostering aspiration, developing reflective conversation, and understanding complexity” (p. xii). No single capability is able to stand on its own. Members of a team must embrace all three capabilities in order to function at optimal levels. Senge’s insight gleaned from his observation of higher learning. Senge claims that institutional learning has conditioned managers and employees to “please the boss” instead of focusing on improving the product or service of a company. The fact is the global marketplace has forced companies to think and behave different. Companies are more agile and adaptable than in times past. The world is more interconnected than ever and people are learning from each other. Simply put, companies are in a state of continually adapting and those that fail to become LOs are underequipped. Senge claims there are five modalities for LOs: system thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building a shared vision, and team learning. System thinking involves learning to see the whole pattern of change. Senge provides the example of a rain storm. As the winds rise and the sky becomes dark, one can intelligently presume a storm is coming due to one’s understanding of how a storm system behaves. The same is true in all aspects of life. The trick is to take a step back and observe the system as a whole. Personal mastery is a discipline that must be cultivated. It requires one to view things objectively and focusing one’s energy on things they can improve on. The idea is to create employees who have a positive view of change and learning, thus creating teams of folks with parallel thinking. Mental models are simply how we understand the world. When someone dresses poorly, we assume this person does not care what others think and is perhaps disenfranchised. Of course, the opposite also holds true. I just experienced this with a co-worker/supervisor. We discussed making changes to a website that required IT. My supervisor said, “IT is difficult to work with and never actions my requests”. Essentially, she sees a roadblock and assumes there is no way around it. Her mental model is set and to change her mind would require her to change the mental model she’s created. If she can adapt a learner’s mindset, she may find a solution to her problem. Building a shared vision requires a team to share a picture of the future. This requires senior leaders to establish a common identity and destination. Once senior leaders adapt, subordinate leaders must do the same. Establishing a shared vision takes discipline to avoid creating individual visions. Ultimately, it takes a strong set of guiding practices and principles to accomplish this tenet. Lastly, team learning is about coordinated action. When a team is thriving, individuals are growing faster than when on their own. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats”. The key is to encourage dialog and avoid making assumptions. LOs require teams to become adept at thinking together. This takes a high level of maturity and personal agency. Team members must learn to receive constructive feedback and be less defensive. A company with team learning creates a LO. Eddie Reference Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Currency. H05 Reply : Good morning class, I cannot believe we are past the halfway mark already! When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, "Money is the most important tool that a manager has for motivating employees," I would have to disagree. While money is certainly an important factor in a job for a lot of people it is not always the most important factor. Other types of job motivators like the work schedule, benefits, ability to promote, etc. can be more important than money to some employees. For example, an employee who has children may consider the work schedule to be more important than money. They may often choose to take a job which allows teleworking and flexible hours, rather than a job that pays more money because it gives them the ability to care for their children at home and attend to their family. Another example could be benefits. A job offering free healthcare could be really important to someone who has medical issues and they may choose to take that job over a job that is paying more because at the end of the day, the free healthcare makes up for the decrease in salary. For the second question, it is to an organization's advantage to hire employees who need training rather than employees who are already trained when the organization is trying to save on salary expenses. It is easier to justify paying someone who is not trained less, than someone who is trained. Another benefit to hiring untrained employees is that it is a fresh start in the organization. The ability for leadership to instill their own objectives, training techniques, etc. is extremely important and can have lasting effects on both the employees and the organization as a whole. On the other side, hiring trained employees typically makes leadership's job easier and can often produce better results for the company. Hiring trained employees can help fix problems quickly and maximize efficiency for the company. Reply2: I do not agree money is the most important tool that a manager has for motivating employees. I believe everything can be compared back to money – as in it may have a monetary value, such as a day off with pay. Different things drive people, or sometimes don’t drive people. Other factors that can motivate someone are: time off, words of affirmation, public recognition, medical or 401k opportunities, school benefits, and so much more. While some of those can be looked at as equivalent to money (medical, 401k, school benefits) money itself may not be that driving tool. It is important to get to not only get to know your folks, but also have methods to ensure that there are other areas to either have as incentives, reward, or motivate people other than just one. It is to an organization’s advantage to hire employees who need training when you are building on skills that already exist for things such as promotions or new positions, when an organization is seeking innovation and change for the dynamics someone that may not have had the full experience is the best fit for the job dynamics, therefore, requires additional training. Additionally, when someone needs hands-on experience versus just classroom education – training may be required. New equipment, new procedures, etc., are other reasons. Overall, if an employee can be invested in like something with training, the organization will ultimately benefit from the increased level of competency. In the military, there are times where I feel training is beat to a point that it becomes unnecessary, so balance is also important. Being cognizant of the time being spent and the value the training adds is also key factors to consider. I really enjoyed the concept of Empower within the Six E’s of Training. Personally, that is such a crucial part in the growth of performance is providing the opportunity to either make mistakes, or learn from first hand critical thinking skills/practical ways/or nail it and that success drive even more determination to excel in a field. M96 Reply 1: Based on what I have learned and researched the ePortfolio is a multimedia collection of digital artifacts that demonstrate the learning journey over time. The ePortfolio is an opportunity for a student to showcase their work and their progression in their thinking and learning throughout an academic program (Santos, 2019). To develop an ePortfolio the student should begin by reviewing the objectives of the academic program and think about what work they did throughout the program to demonstrate achievement of those objectives. Additionally, the student should consider their career objectives, the student should be able to show how the work they have done will enhance their abilities to pursue a career or position. When building the ePortfolio signature assignments should be included. Signature assignments are assignments that can demonstrate real world application of knowledge and can be tied back to the educational objectives. These assignments are important because they demonstrate how the student takes the concepts and theories taught in a course and applies them to real world application. As I began to think about building my own ePortfolio I think I will incorporate a variety of media’s. While the bulk of the work I have submitted here at AMU has been research papers I think developing some Videos based on the findings of those papers will give me the opportunity to showcase the results of the research as it relates to real world application. I know as I have gone through this program, I have found myself in many situations using the theories taught in courses like organizational development and leadership. I will try to tie these research opportunities to the real-world application. References Santos, D. D. (2019, July 10). ePortfolio Benefits. Retrieved from EdTech: https://commons.hostos.cuny.edu/edtech/2019/07/10/eportfolio-benefits/ Reply2: I am excited to deep dive into previous course works. We are all constantly evolving, and it will be interesting to investigate our past works to see how we have changed as individuals and students. I will use the final product to enhance my personal brand by gaining insight into where I came from, where I am now, and where I want to be in the future. Having an understand of how I have evolved will give me guidance in how I want to brand myself moving forward. An ePortfolio is a collection of work one has complete compiled together in one place electronically. To develop an ePortfolio for the purpose of this course will include going back into previous course works and compiling it into one folder. I wish I had access to some of my original classes graded assignments to use. Signature assignments are ones that had the greatest impact in your studies. Personally, I think this will vary from student to student. I think it is important to not assume we need to use end of course finals and ensure we revisit our weekly assignments as well. I would like to use videos and pictures of course works I made from my assignments, but I can only think of maybe one video I had to do in my studies. I may have had to do more but I do not remember for sure. I will use a collection of marketing and leadership works that I have done. I am currently ramping up the marketing channels for my business so I wouldn’t mind getting some more ideas from my previous works. Discussion : Based on your reading and understanding, how would you describe an ePortfolio? How do you develop one? What are signature assignments and how do you select the best one to include in your portfolio? A list of the signature assignments is located in the resources area. Will you include videos and pictures? Be creative as there is not a right or wrong response. Provide details of the artifacts you would like to include. Consider what will be of value to the person reviewing the artifacts. When you respond to your peers, consider artifacts they may not have included.