Hillside Yellers

["Gordon Hall" <g.hall@dln.org.uk>]

Peter Senge at our conference last year talked about a conversation he =
had with Edwards Deming, where WED expressed the view that our system of =
management reflects our system of education.

When we look at our system of education it is full of all the things we =
criticise in our organisations, lack of holistic thinking, targets, a =
focus on rewards (exams). didactic or hierarchical teaching etc etc.=20

We ourselves here in Aberdeen (Scotland) are working towards =
establishing a learning network, with conceptual thinkers and practical =
managers working in partnership - each learning from each other.

We are not finding it easy. What is happening is that we are being =
perceived as a teaching network - we provide ideas and speakers and the =
practical managers pick and choose what they want - but do not feel the =
responsibility to feedback into the system. So our conceptual thinkers =
get isolated - they have no means through which they can learn about the =
very difficult and different area of the application of modern ideas.

Our battle is to change the perception that learning is a linear process =
- An expert teaching a student, after which there is a disconnect. In =
its place we want to see learning as a long term cyclical process with a =
strong feedback loop where we continually learn from each other. But =
this is difficult. I believe we are addressing a society issue not one =
with individual organisations.


Gordon Hall
The Deming Learning Network
Aim: Continual organisational improvement through the application of =
learning
Tel: 00 44 1358 721258
e-mail: g.hall@dln.org.uk
web site: www.dln.org.uk