help shape questions and make suggestions on what else needs to be
explored. This practice helps the team, and it inspires others in the
organization to act on what the team has learned.Find opportunities to disseminate information already in your
organization. If you use a knowledge base, ask a veteran communi-
cator to edit entries or a recent recruit with journalistic talents to
find new items to include. If your organization has an intranet,
establish usability guidelines for linking and presenting information
so that people can find anything fast. Encourage people to publish
the department job aids and cheat sheets they create for them-
selves. Offer a shared space to log topical bookmarks from personal
lists or communities of practice. Create frequently asked question
(FAQ) lists, and make them available in a format that everyone
can add to and update.^3
Promote Learning with New Practices
At Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution in Wendell, North
Carolina, executives once wondered how to stop workers from gath-
ering in the cafeteria for chitchat about family or golf. Then leaders
realized these get-togethers offered their organization an opportunity
to grow through interpersonal relationships and peer-to-peer learn-
ing, so pads of paper and overhead projectors were placed on cafete-
ria tables to assist learning during these informal talks. By providing
essential tools and then staying out of the way, those executives now
support employee learning in an innovative way.Find new ways and times for people to talk about and improve
the work they share. Place a whiteboard near the water cooler, in
the stairwells, and by the printer or copy machine so that people
can capture and share conversations wherever they hold them. Pro-
vide an informal guide to informal learning opportunities as part of
your everyday meetings and new-staff orientations.^4 Advocate for
seasoned staff to become mentors and coaches. Create overlaps
96 LEADINGORGANIZATIONALLEARNING