From theory to practice: practical aspects of lesson learning
1 September 2018
Learning lessons is an activity familiar and common among organizations. As Knowledge Management personnel we recommend it as a method of organizational learning and assist organizations in formulating a lesson learning method that suits it best. Usually, the lesson learning process ends with writing a detailed summary document, then distributing it and storing it somewhere in virtual space. However, learning lessons isn't a means in itself.
The big question is which products can be derived from it so that the knowledge it holds may allow workers to learn and improve.
Hereby are the three first components in the journey from theory to practice:
Lessons:
A lesson is a recommendation based on positive or negative experience from which others can learn to improve their performances in either a defined task or their ongoing work.
What defines the quality of a learned lesson? First and foremost, it must be correct and applicable. Phrasing and accessibility can make it clear and user-friendly.
Recommendations:
The lesson must be phrased clearly, concisely and in a focused manner that contains the following components: context (when is it performed?), essence (what is recommended to do or avoid) and rationale (why should we do/avoid this).
The lesson can be accessed intuitively and in the appropriate context. It is best to "float" it towards workers rather than wait for them to access it proactively.
Applying the lesson will require workers to work correctly
An example of such a lesson:
When a team of contract workers is required to perform many critical tasks in a short time, it is recommended to procure the work for a 'fixed' rather than 'cost' pricing. Past experience shows that this pricing lead to work being performed in less time and by a more professional team.
Assignments:
An assignment is a distinct and defined one-time task that are assigned a monitor and defined a short run time. Assignments derived from lesson learning
Learning lessons is an activity familiar and common among organizations. As Knowledge Management personnel we recommend it as a method of organizational learning and assist organizations in formulating a lesson learning method that suits it best. Usually, the lesson learning process ends with writing a detailed summary document, then distributing it and storing it somewhere in virtual space. However, learning lessons isn't a means in itself.
The big question is which products can be derived from it so that the knowledge it holds may allow workers to learn and improve.
Hereby are the three first components in the journey from theory to practice:
Lessons:
A lesson is a recommendation based on positive or negative experience from which others can learn to improve their performances in either a defined task or their ongoing work.
What defines the quality of a learned lesson? First and foremost, it must be correct and applicable. Phrasing and accessibility can make it clear and user-friendly.
Recommendations:
The lesson must be phrased clearly, concisely and in a focused manner that contains the following components: context (when is it performed?), essence (what is recommended to do or avoid) and rationale (why should we do/avoid this).
The lesson can be accessed intuitively and in the appropriate context. It is best to "float" it towards workers rather than wait for them to access it proactively.
Applying the lesson will require workers to work correctly
An example of such a lesson:
When a team of contract workers is required to perform many critical tasks in a short time, it is recommended to procure the work for a 'fixed' rather than 'cost' pricing. Past experience shows that this pricing lead to work being performed in less time and by a more professional team.
Assignments:
An assignment is a distinct and defined one-time task that are assigned a monitor and defined a short run time. Assignments derived from lesson learning are usually relevant to an event that occurred and requires handling its defects. These tasks mustn't remain on paper; their execution must be monitored.
An example of such a task: replacing or purchasing equipment, holding a discussion on X, delivering a tutorial, etc.
Change.
Change is not a specific recommendation, it is a long-term plan for a personal or organizational behavioral change. I recommend offering only one change per lesson learning process, since an organization cannot contain too many changes at once. Businesses should mainly focus on the central business activity; performing changes should remain an auxiliary tool.
An example of such a change: implementing organizational culture that follows data security principles: covering computers and shredding papers at the end of workdays.
These three ways help convert lessons from written documents to actions. Learning lessons should be followed by selecting the recommendations that seem most correct, applicable and profitable to the organization and actively ensure that they are appropriately handled. This will contribute to the organization's attempts to constantly improve and excel.
are usually relevant to an event that occurred and requires handling its defects. These tasks mustn't remain on paper; their execution must be monitored.
An example of such a task: replacing or purchasing equipment, holding a discussion on X, delivering a tutorial, etc.
Change.
Change is not a specific recommendation, it is a long-term plan for a personal or organizational behavioral change. I recommend offering only one change per lesson learning process, since an organization cannot contain too many changes at once. Businesses should mainly focus on the central business activity; performing changes should remain an auxiliary tool.
An example of such a change: implementing organizational culture that follows data security principles: covering computers and shredding papers at the end of workdays.
These three ways help convert lessons from written documents to actions. Learning lessons should be followed by selecting the recommendations that seem most correct, applicable and profitable to the organization and actively ensure that they are appropriately handled. This will contribute to the organization's attempts to constantly improve and excel.