A unilateral 'L&D Transformation' is not sustainable

"An important function of almost every system is to ensure its own perpetuation."

Donella H. Meadows

The work of a corporate L&D team (its preoccupations, tactics, and success measures) is part of the organisational system ('how the work works here') and so a unilateral 'L&D Transformation' is almost impossible to achieve.

Paradoxically, if an L&D team 'breaks out' and starts to operate in a new way that is counter to the prevailing system, this can actually reinforce their work as 'out of sight, out of mind' of senior management. Inevitably the system will eventually correct itself and this outlier team is usually 'reset' through restructuring / redundancies / budget cuts.

NB. Transforming the role, focus and approach to corporate learning is an outcome of deliberately changing the prevailing system ('how the work works here'). Changing the prevailing system depends on an openness - and excitement - by management to choose to reinvent towards something fundamentally different and potentially better for people.

 


I work as a thinking partner and advisor with mid sized, value oriented companies going through significant change. I help you to build new capability and mindsets through shifting your approach to organisational development.

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