Step 1: Choice
Learners seek alternatives. They see what might be, not what has
been or has to be. They brainstorm multiple ways of approaching
and defining problems. Learners increase their ability to make
choices in the following ways:
- Comparing.Learners see what others do and adopt mentors
who offer formal and informal counsel about their experi-
ences. They encourage staff to ask for advice from those who
have relevant experience. - Experimenting.Learners take risks by testing new ways to do
things, even when the old ways are still working. They do this
by setting up small experiments during which they do some-
thing one way and see the impact and by assigning staff
members to projects that are not within their comfort zone. - Risking looking stupid.Learners accept that they probably
won’t get everything right the first time. When learners make
a mistake, they take it in stride, figure out why it happened,
adapt, and try to not make the same mistake twice. They
don’t blame; they reflect. - Volunteering for tough assignments and projects.Learners
increase choices by taking on assignments that stretch their
thinking and approaches.
68 LEADINGORGANIZATIONALLEARNING
- Choice
- Correction 2. Consequence
Figure 7.1 The Individual Learning Cycle