Organisational Learning and Mindfulness – The Connection

In the last two posts we explored learning (individual and organisational) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the explanation for mindfulness in psychology. This week we explore how learning and mindfulness might be related and the possible significance of the relationship for organisational effectiveness. In the last couple of weeks we have explored learning and mindfulness […]

Organisational Learning and Mindfulness – Relational Frame Theory (RFT)

In our search for a relationship between organisational and individual learning and mindfulness, we now take a look at mindfulness from the perspective of a psychologist trained in the western tradition. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) attempts to explain the variety of human behaviour as the basis for therapeutic interventions. This introduction to RFT will place […]

Organisational Learning and Mindfulness – An Introduction

We have in recent weeks looked closely at organisational learning, concluding that learning is critical to organisational change. Over the past few years, the practice of mindfulness has become popular enough in the conversation about management to be considered mainstream. Let’s explore these two conversations to see if they are related in some way. In […]

Applying Operational Thinking to a Strategic Topic

In the last couple of posts we looked at the value of introducing a strategic perspective into an operational conversation and then whether strategic and operational topics can be distinguished from each other. But what happens when we take an operational view when dealing with a strategic issue. The discussion about introducing a strategic perspective […]

Strategic versus Operational Perspectives

In the last post we looked at whether it would be appropriate to use strategic metrics in an operational conversation, concluding it could be. But that brings up another question. How does one distinguish a strategic conversation from an operational one? Let’s look a bit more closely at this topic. Last week we considered the […]

Strategic versus Operational Conversations

A recent conversation on LinkedIn about the relationship between a strategic artefact and an operational conversation led to some interesting insights. The original question posed was whether or not it would be appropriate to use a Balanced Scorecard as part of the day-to-day operational conversation. There was general agreement that it would, but for not […]

Design Thinking vs the Logic of Scientific Inquiry

We’ve now looked at two promising frameworks intended for organisations to understand and implement change: Design Thinking (DT) and the Logic of Scientific Inquiry (LOSI). Both acknowledge the complexity and human nature of organisations and both enable iterative learning as an approach for steering change. The instrumental, practical focus of DT appears to be very […]

The ‘Logic of Scientific Inquiry’ as a Framework for Change

In the past two weeks we have been considering popular models and frameworks for organisational change, focusing on their ability to enable organisational learning. We didn’t find one that supports all the three requirements: an iterative process that supports the accumulation of knowledge, emphasis on cause-effect explanation and support for multiple modes of learning. This […]

A couple of other models for change

Last week we identified some characteristics of organisational learning and checked to see if four well-known models for change consider these requirements. We concluded that none of them do. But readers suggested of a couple of frameworks that do seem to support at least some of these requirements. Let’s take a look. We have last […]

Strategic Alignment and Models for Change

When dealing with change in organisations, most of us have some experience of unexpected outcomes. One way limit the scope of this unpredictability is the use of frameworks, which represent the insights and knowledge of those who built them. We’ve explored, compared and integrated a few frameworks over the past few weeks. Another way to […]