Argyris+&+Schon


 * Argyris & Schon 1978** (p. 17-21)

-Influential ideas is link between **“inquiry and error detection and correction”** -individual & collective **inquiry** fuel organizational learning -cyclical process= questioning- data collection- reflection- ACTION!!! -Dialectical Process/ Existentialist in nature -inquiry removes doubt & confusion

-“Org. Learning as error detection & correction process involving inquiry” -**Error** does not denote a mistake- goal & reality are “mismatched” -**Error correction** refers to the process of remedying the situation

-Other important ideas:

-__Espoused Theories-of-Action__: a school may say it promotes one thing, when its actions point to the contrary. -__Theories-in-use__: Beliefs about schools that are actually being used. Being aware of these can lead to “__cognitive change__” & REAL Org. learning -__Single-loop learning__: as behavioral change, meaning you improve upon what is already in place. Nothing has fundamentally changed -__Double-loop learning__: steps are taken to resolve inconsistencies within the organization. Theory-in action & theory-in-use are ALIGNED!!

__5 Core Assumptions for Organizational Learning: //Argyris & Schon's take//__ 1. **Multi-level Learning:**

-"Individual learning is necessary but not sufficient for organizational learning. Without individual learning, there can be no organizational learning because individual members are the agents by which organizations can learn (Argyris & Schon, 1978) -This image helps reinforce Argyris & Schon's vision for organization learning... from the BOTTOM-UP, as opposed to the traditional top-down model that has permeated western society for the better part of, well... a very long time. Learning naturally starts at the individual level, because learning is going to occur whether it's deliberate or not (Wenger, 1998) . This could potentially spread to a larger group and potentially the entire organization. The individual has the power to shape the learning of the organization,though learning must occur through all the levels if it is to have a meaningful impact on how the organization functions and views itself.

2. **Inquiry**:

-"Inquiry, whether formal or informal, is an essential aspect of deliberate organizational learning (Argyris & Schon, 1978). These two handsome devils are none other than Sir Francis Bacon and Renee Descartes, the two men who through their efforts are credited with helping to formulate the Scientific Method!! This method of inquiry revolutionized Western thought and altered the approach to inquiry and learning. Just as these men took a formal approach to the acquistion of knowledge, organizations can take deliberate steps to establish and embed these procedures within an organization. It is through the process of inquiry, both individually and collectively, that an organization can be propelled. Encouraging inquiry in the organization should be fostered rather than stifled if an organization truly intends to grow.

3. **Shared Understanding:**

-"A critical practice for organizational learning is to uncover these shared understandings and to articulate and examine the assumptions embodied within them" (Argyris & Schon, 1978).



A GOOD 'OL FASHIONED ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG!!! Just as these archeologists work together in an attempt to uncover the past, organizations wanting to facilitate learning must work together to uncover the shared understandings of it's members. The members of this dig team each bring their own experiences and perspectives to the site, much like organizational members bring their own skill sets and abilities to the organization. By creating a climate that encourages collaboration among its members, the organization can learn more about workplace behavior and how decisions are made. The more the organization can do to unlock the tacit knowledge of its members and make it explicit the more likely the organization is to grow.

4. **Behavioral & Cognitive Change**:

Argyris & Schon, major proponents of double-loop learning, would contend that REAL organizational LEARNING involves BEHAVIORAL & COGNITIVE change. media type="youtube" key="0K-2F8yJA9A" height="349" width="425" Lets use this video as an example of an organizational learning. This young man is clearly not satisfied in his execution of the double-hoop maneuver. If he were to employ double-loop learning in his attempt to learn this new skill he would not just continue to gyrate his hips in in vain hoping to successfully hula with two hoops. Instead he would observe, seek advice, and deepen his understanding of hula hooping (the cognitive). Having honed his skills in combination with practice (the behavioral) will result in complete victory!!

5. **Embedded New Knowledge**:

-"In order for organizational learning to occur, learning agents' discoveries, inventions, and evaluations must be embedded in organizational memory...If this encoding does not occur, individuals will have learned but the organization will not have done so (Argyris & Schon, 1978). media type="youtube" key="UM5yepZ21pI" height="349" width="560" The film describes a world in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality created by sentient machines to pacify humanity. Computer programmer Neo (Keanu Reeves) is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, involving other people who have been freed from the "dream world" and into reality. Keanu and the gang are attempting to embed their knowledge of reality into the memory of mankind (aka the organization). If they are unsuccessful in their attempt they will have been personally freed, but mankind will not have done so.