Team Challenge - Hyperlinked Organizations

Knowledge of relationships and topics can be linked in such a structure that learning can be shared rather than relearned (A Learning Approach to Teams). In order to make the knowledge accessible to others without having to experience the processes necessary for learning and creating the knowledge, the content can be structured with hyperlinks that represent webs of knowledge. Webs of knowledge through hyperlinking make knowledge re-useable. The second benefit of hyperlinking is that more learning occurs through the tasks of identifying items and linking them together. The first aspect of learning is from an original view that reflects the team's chronological structure of communication and processes. The second aspect of learning is from a hyperlinked view that forms a web of items that address the same subject-matter. Once users have identified and linked items as relevant to a particular subject the items are preserved in context.

A Learning Approach to Teams

With hyperlinked organizations that use a wide spectrum of technologies, the learning organization is far removed from the traditional authoritarian organization ("controlling organization") as describe by Senge (1990b), and is more of an organization where people expand their capacities to create. Technologies promote new patterns of thinking, and when nurtured, a collective eagerness to learn together is reinforced with possible continual learning. A learning organization is defined as an organization that continuously develops and increases knowledge capacity (Senge et al., 1994). Disciplines that are associated with building a learning organization are centered around increasing capacity for effective action, and more specifically, the organization as a whole continually increasing their capacity to learn (Koffman and Senge, 1993).

Learning implies a sense of learning to do things rather than knowing things. Hyperlinks provide learning opportunities at a fundamental level by exposing the link, and at an advanced level by exposing the collective intelligence and commitments of its members. With teams, learning begins with a passion to do something and once there is a passion for doing something, then a learning approach to teams can occur. Links to related concepts in learning are fundamental to people, and the most learning occurs when knowledge links are expanded beyond fundamental levels to collective levels.

Characteristics of Hyperlinked Learning Organizations

Learning links can be found at the systems level and they are present within the organization even if individuals change.
Learning links lead to well-developed core competencies that serve as launch points for new programs and projects.
Learning links enhance the awareness of interdependencies.
Learning links transform knowledge for further development of competencies and further facilitation of transformational change.
Learning links support further collective learning in action.
Learning links transform to three primary forms of knowledge: 1) The acquisition of knowledge through learning, 2) The sharing of knowledge through dissemination, and 3) The use of knowledge through the integration of learning for making it available and generalizable to new situations.
Learning links lead to further meaning of information.

Adapted from Balasubramanian, 1996.

Checklist for Promoting Organizational Learning Links

Continuously talk about learning organizations. Talking about learning organizations is subtle but does much for building support by helping to develop a consistent language.
Continuously learn how people in the school learn. Study the school's values and practices that effect organizational learning. Values and practices define the school's "learning style."
Continuously study the structures and processes that affect how easy or difficult it is for learning to occur.
Continuously support trying new things and reward curiosity. Learning organizations provide faculty and staff with freedom to "play" with things. Failures are opportunities for further learning not punishment.
Continuously support and develop a climate of openness. Learning organizations require wide scale accessibility to information and problems are shared.
Continuously promote education of all stakeholders. Learning organizations have ongoing commitment to education at all levels of the organization.
Continuously support involved leadership. Effective leaders articulate vision and are engaged in the vision's implementation.
Continuously encourage systems thinking and promote an understanding of interdependence. Problems and solutions are identified in terms of systemic relationships.
Continuously study and evaluate current reality. Without full awareness and appreciation of current assumptions about management, organization, and learning, it is not possible to grasp what is being done well and what might be improved or changed.

Cautions with Promoting Organizational Learning Links

$ All learning is not necessarily good. The resulting learning from old dysfunctional behaviors is often difficult to unlearn.

$ Emphasize double-loop learning (generative) and don’t be lulled into the more prevalent single-loop learning (corrective). Double-loop learning is required for transformational changes (changes in basic assumptions).

$ Learning does not always occur in a linear fashion. Expectations may present problems when based on linear learning because learning often occurs after periods and processes of chaos and turmoil.

$ Knowledge and skill acquisition often takes place in the sharing stages. Knowledge is not something that occurs simply by organizing an "acquisition effort."

Last updated: March 10, 1998