Learning disabilities are fatal in organization - Essay Example

? Learning how to see the clarifying what is important Now reality Professionalism Personal mastery Culture/beliefs objectives Pragmatism Systems Thinking Shared vision To changes Mental models Personal perceptions/views goals to attain Interrelated roles Team learning Coordinated actions insightful thinking on issues Human Resource Ideas Team work/ Cooperation - Clear objectives Professionalism Progress and - Clear goal Pragmatism/ Openess Development - Suitable Mission/Vission Willingness to lean of the Company/ Insightful thinking Organization “Learning Disabilities Are Fatal In Organization” (Senge, 1990) Introduction In these days, there are lots of methods and modes that are being catered to analyze and solve certain issues and problems. We can see this through theories and other set of explanations which sought to analyze and identify predicaments within our society and also to other fields of leaning like in the fields of natural sciences and health sciences. Because of these, they are now a wide scope of critical thinking which is good because it tends to shape our world to a competent and creative society - able to offer an effective solution thru competent analysis and creative thinking. In this paper, we will be dealing on one of the most brilliant ideas on how to attain and obtain as well, a productive and fruitful organization. It is brilliant because of its realistic approach which tends to directly oppose hindrances that could make an organization or company in its growth. As Senge (1990) would suggest, we should also focus on disabilities rather than always on the brighter or good side because this could also help us to find ways to prevent such crisis or other negative phenomenon in occurrence. Because if we could identify these co-called disabilities, we could find ways to stop it and deal with it ahead of time; whilst avoiding it to obstruct our company’s or organization’s progress. As such, we could not only learn, but also learn how to learn (Cathon 2000, p. 4) – we could be prospective rather than only being retrospective; we could be proactive instead of being simply reactive of the things that surround us. In this way, we could not only re-impose ways and traditional solutions but rather, we could be creative in our own way having a unique elucidation to overcome the predicaments that will threaten our organization or company’s advancement as well as its existence. Therefore, we shall be explicitly see those solutions suggested by Senge (1990) through looking at disabilities to have a keen idea of which would be to focus to attain maximum development and to have a fine sense to where would be the weak points and areas that could be the source of conflict or malfunctions. Because if we could identify this weakness or disabilities, it could be a source of strength in the future by improving this and diverting it to an asset – making our company transform and transcend to a better and more proficient to solutions. The Learning Disabilities In the article made by Douglas Cathon (2000), he mentioned there the seven disabilities introduced by Senge (1990). We shall be tackling those ones in this part and identify them to have a broader knowledge on the efficacy that it will brought to the progression of the companies and/or organizations. First disability would be the “I am my position” (p. 5), that states that one of the impediment to attain development is because of the too much in depth to the mentality of one’s person to their job that it already become as part of their personality or their personal identity in their everyday living. In this sense, what would be the problem is the single minded thinking. This obstructs the chance for individual to attain more ideas as well as positive change by being stagnant of the status quo where we are into. We do not embrace new circumstances that would contribute to our own wellness and success. Also, it would limit individual to see their accountability and responsibility. They only focus on what they do and feel satisfactory to it, they tend to forget that they have done, even the slightest one already had an impact to the totality of the output produced. Because of this, we tend to blame others for the mistakes committed if anything erroneous happened or the output produced is undesirable. This could be the reason why the second disability is inevitable, which is “the enemy is out there” (p.5). In here, we could see that one of the impediments would be the irresponsibility of accepting failures and mistakes. One of the example mentioned in the article is the charting report of radiology and Nursing whereas they are blaming to whose position should be the ones in charge for that matter whilst they both have the responsibility in doing it. What could be the erroneous here so to speak is the chance to change the poor quality of work into a better one. Hence, if one could accept his/her mistake then they could perceive to have it done properly and not just simply pinpointing others for the task to be finished. In this case, we should have the mentality that in organization and company, the act of one is the act of all. The third disability given is “the illusion of taking advantage” (pp.5 & 6) wherein people tends to act if crisis is already occurring. Senge (1990) suggest that we must be more of proactive rather than simply being reactive. What he mentioned to be the reason of doing such is that things are changing then so must we. He argued that often, we just follow what was costumed to be that forgot to view that there are possible things that our traditional solutions could not solve. The fourth one which is also in line with the third is the “fixation of events (p. 6) which tells that we are used to see problems which are very visible like crisis. We forgot to look at things which do not (at present) create a critical problem. We disregard to face things that slowly happens and overlook the possibly that these things that gradually occurs could lead to a crisis. We put away our mind on the idea that large things always started from small things, same as saying that small fires could lead to a bigger fire. “What threaten survival are not the sudden events that occurs but the slow methodical process (p.6). Therefore, what should we do is to be more decisive on every events regardless of its gravity – whether small or large because in this way, we could be of more proactive instead of being simply reactive. In the next disability, it will somehow explain why this kind of scenario is most likely possible for us or why we are fallible to such mentality. The fifth which is the “parable of the boiled frog” explains that even our physical bodies will just likely to react with sudden change. An example that is used is the frog wherein when it is put to boiling water at the start, it will react automatically and jumped out to the pot; but if this frog will be placed to warm water that it cannot feel any threat then it will eventually stay and unknowingly it will be late for her to know that he was already trapped to a hot pot and cannot even do anything about it. This just implies that reaction to change is significant (p.6), whilst our senses is commonly geared to sudden changes and not to slow gradual changes still, we can do something about this. We must be more attentive and evaluative to everything that is occurring around us because we could not stop changes but we could be ready for it by preparing ourselves and gearing it as well to face the future challenges that will come about. The sixth disability would be “the delusion of learning experience” (p.7) which entails that the unawareness if our actions could lead to several problems. Although the article mentioned that we best learn from our direct experience, still we mostly we never experience the consequences of our decisions. Thus, we must be also careful enough to our actions because all the things that we are doing could lead to change and that a process of long term effect could already be a start it. The last would be “the myth of management team” which tells us a real scenario of how the management teams compete for being a leader in the organization or company. This disability would make us see that within the group, individual involved does not really helping each other to improve their situation instead they are fighting for the position in the higher hierarchy. This implies that instead of cooperating, they are more of personal aims, desiring for the higher position. Overcoming the Challenges of Learning Challenges through Systems Thinking As a result of the disabilities, Senge suggest five disciplines that will help us to obtain or reach out success and break the impediments that were mentioned above. These are personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning and systems thinking. We shall be dealing on the fifth discipline in this paper because it is believed that the combination of the other four would boil down to this one – the systems thinking (p.9). How could this discipline be an advantage is that it leads the organization to work as a whole being a whole. It eliminates fragments in the organization, thus, uniting it as one piece working for the same goal and the same motives on developing and improving it which will lead to the wellness of the organization and/or company. So how can this be possibly achieved is that we must first learn the four disciplines and eventually it will direct us to the fifth one. What we must first focus with is our personal mastery, we must do beyond competence and skill. We must be creative in our own way identifying what would be those important things that we have to do, thus, setting our priorities in life and distinguishing personal from profession. In this case, we can have the so-called character of “professionalism” able to adapt situations and able to execute decisions in a right manner. Also, we must distinguish the present reality and must identify those things that are not already applicable to these present days. Also, we must also practice the so-called mental models, implementing what we know is right and that we must shape our thoughts to positive aspects that will contribute in the progress of our organization and/or company. We must not be afraid to offer these ideas if we know that it will bring to the improvement of the things around us. Next would be the shared vision, whereas we must bear in our mind is always the better condition that we can put to the organization/company. We must have the same vision, focusing on the work and disregarding any personal interest. As mentioned earlier we must practice professionalism in our work or any business affairs. When we already have a shared vision, then probably team learning can be executed since the vision’s focus is on the well-being of the organization/company, then it is essential for them to learn on how they individually could contribute to such helping each other because they know that ones failure could also affect them and their shared visions. Thus, because of these first factors, we could no longer think on ourselves alone, having the mentality and mastery of professionalism and a shared vision rather we tend to cooperate now with others thinking that everyone has essential role in the development of the company/organization. There is no “me” attitude in this sense, creating the “we” attitude. Conclusion In every situation in our lives, we must be pragmatic to changes by avoiding being stagnant to the traditions and ways that were established. We must find ways and means to be creative by our own selves. If things changes and so must solutions be, thus, we must not be contented of the things that were solved by the first people regarding the issues that occurs rather, we too must continuously find answer to deal on the present in issues in a more effective and faster manner. We must also be attentive enough and never be afraid to start a change as long as we know that we are correct and what we do will be right for us and for others as well. We must have the courage to be critical in whatever we do and break the culture of simply “going-with-the-flow.” We must always bear in mind that change could start in us! Reference: Cathon, Douglas E. 2000, ‘The Learning Organization: Adapted from The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge’, Hospital Material Management Quarterly, Aspen Publisher Inc., Chicago, pp. 4-10. Read More