Resources 7 - Systems Thinking with Peter Senge of The Fifth Discipline

A rare and yet an indepth interview with author Peter Senge of The Fifth Discipline while he was in Manila in April 2011. Dr. Peter Senge talks to host Raju Mandhyan about how he came about to be the world's top ten management guru. he also, briefly covers the five disciplines of...Mental Models, Personal Mastery, Shared Visions, Team Learning and Systems Thinking.

 

Resources 6 - The Importance of Learning in Organizations

An interview with David Garvin and Amy Edmondson, Professors, Harvard Business School. Learning organizations generate and act on new knowledge. The ability to do this enables companies to stay ahead of change and the competition.

Resources 5 - Peter Senge - Organizational Learning Expert

Peter Senge is a Senior Lecturer at M.I.T., and Chairperson of the Society for Organizational Learning. He is the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization, which was identified by the Harvard Business Review as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years. Dr. Senge has lectured extensively throughout the world, translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for better understanding of economic and organizational change.

Activity 7 - Martin

Develop ideas of where you could incorporate the use of scenario planning in an organization

A good organization should have a workable and clear scenario plan. I choose the stepping guide from JISC InfoNet (Ref: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning/steps) to implement our scenario planning.

 

Step 1: Scoping

Currently our library is providing a service for student to come and borrow our private room for study. Many students love this service and our rooms are always full. The 334 curriculum is coming and we are facing a very serious problem, so many students but not enough rooms.

Step 2: Trend Analysis

Now this room rental services is base on first come first serve. Everyday we will see a line of students who standing before the entrance of our library before we are open. They are all wait for getting the key to get into a room once our door opened. However we found there are so many people who take the key of the room, leaving their belonging in it, and then leave this room. Sometimes they just leave it for several hours, or even pass the key to their friends. Some students they can never get a room just because they have morning class before library opening time. As a result it makes our rooms not be fully utilized. We are starting to think of solution.

Step 3: Building Scenarios

We plan to provide an online booking system which needed student unique ID to login. Therefore students can go to reserve their room at anytime through internet. All the rooms have locks and can only using their student library card to open. This student library card contains their unique ID and they should put their card on the electronic reader to verify. This electronic reader should check with the reservation table in database and the student ID should match with this student library card ID, and then open the door lock if it matches.

Step 4: Generate Options

This plan involve IT skills to develop a reliable web site, door control system and smart card reader. We will find our university IT department to ask for consultancy because they have implemented similar project before.

Step 5: Test Options

We plan we will have a testing period after this system is launched. It needs time for this system to running smooth, need time to fixing minor and hidden software bugs, and need time for user to get use this new system.

Step 6: Action Plan

After consult with university IT department, we should write a tender for bidding from outsiders.

 

Activity 7 - Tammy

 Develop ideas of where you could incorporate the use of Scenario Planning in your organization.

There are five different uses for scenarios including sensitivity/risk assessment, strategy evaluation, strategy development "planning foucs", strategy development without "planning focus" and skills.  And I am going to use strategic development (without planning focus) to illustrate how my organization linking scenarios to strategic planning.

The advantage of using this strategy is taking all the possible scenarios into consideration.  The approach is to develop a "resilience" strategy to deal with all the possible scenarios.

1. Identify focal issue

    I am working in an education institution.   Our college heads has to think about how we can survivor in the future and what kinds of programmes we need to offer.

2.  Search for driving forces & 3. Finding uncertainties

     Geographic scope - scenario 1

     Many local students prefer to study in Japan to learn Japanese, however, there was a Tsunami happen in 2011 and parents still worry the Tsunami will happen again.

     Besides, parents also worry radiation will bring harmful effect to their children.

      Market threat - scenario 2
      There was a global financial crisis happen in 2008 because of the Lehman Brothers.  Many people lost their savings in this matter and lack of confidence to invest in financial market since they are afraid smiliar case will happen again.


4. Formulate scenario logic
    
    Scenario 1
    - Create a Japan community college
    - Employ lecturers from Japan to work and stay in Hong Kong
    - Offer programmes in Japan languages


    Scenario 2
    - Offer professional seminars in assessing current financial market and predicting future financial market.
    - Invite famous market analysts or CEOs from financial institution to hold some talks.
    - Launch new programmes which are cooperate with the financial institution such as Hong Kong Economic Jouranl


5. Strategic analysis
   
    Scenario 1
    - Is it possible to get funding from the schools?
    - Is it easy to employ lecturers from Japan?  How much salary has to pay for?

    - How many competitors are offering programmes in Japan languages?  

      Can our schools fight against them?

    - How much course fee should be charged?

    Scenario 2
    - How can we attract the target group to attend our seminars?
    - What are the concerns of the target group towards the financial market?
    - What types of financial issues need to address in new programme?
    - Is it easy to find financial institution to cooperate with us?


 

Acivity 7 - Marco

Activity 7 – Marco

Develop ideas of where you could incorporate the use of scenario planning in your organization

Scenario planning is a strategy for an organization getting prepared for any unexpected change in future. In the concept of scenario planning, it aims to plan an actual action for managing different unexpected situation in future. In this week, I will apply a simple model of scenario planning to my workplace. It is clear and systematic to indicate the steps of organizational changing step by step. 

Step 1: Scoping

It is the first step of change. Scoping means that a question or issue which should be identified for analyzing. Here is an example in my workplace.

Library is facing the age of digitalization. Many people prefer to look for information on the Internet rather than walk in into library. Library is no longer an only warehouse of knowledge. It started to purchase electronic recourses and digitalize its psychical collection in order to embrace this new challenge.

In a certain extent, the case implied that the future problems occurred in the library might be caused by library digitalization. The scope is identified now.

Step 2: Trend analysis

It is going to identify external forces in operation and consider the pressures they play. As the project of library digitalization is huge and complicated, there are many concerns, such as financial problem, technique problem and staff problem etc. They are all considered as a force and pressure to the project. Every problem has its scenario which may be happen in the real and affected the progress of project. Therefore, building scenario is necessary.

Step 3: Building scenario

As for the three problems mentioned in step 2, I am going to build scenario.

In case,

(Financial problem) University cut off 50% of financial support to the project.

(Technique problem) The existing computer format of documents may not be supported after 50 years, such as PDF and DOC files. There may not any software or hardware support to access the materials after 50 years. If so, all digitized collection would not be able to access in future.

(Staff problem) As the age of staffs is different, some may 50 years old or some may 20 years old, the knowledge and vision of staffs may not be kept consisted. Even some old staffs may not keep updated in the new information technology.

Step 4: Generate options

How to deal with this situation? It may be innovations and new services for it.

For financial problem, is it possible to talk with principal about the difficulty if doing cost cutting to the library? Is there a way can comprise with university to make a win win situation? Or find some donation outside the university? Direct talk to the government or other educational organization/

For Technique problem, there is still not an existing format which 100% guarantee it would be used forever. I could assume that computer may be knocked out and no one to use. Therefore, the original copy should be kept. However, it brings another concern which is preservation.

For staff problem, are extra training courses can help this situation? They could help staffs refresh their knowledge of new things. Also, Regular formal and informal gathering can help staffs’ vision keep consisted.

Step 5: Test options

The options could be implemented progressively. At the meanwhile, it is important to evaluate the results to see whether they can help the situation. Also, it is beneficial for moving on the next step, action plan.

Step 6: Action Plan

According the test results and performance, action plan can be planned progressively to against different problem which may be occurred in future. The plan should be complete because it may be used in a long term.

Reference :

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning/steps

Resources 4 - Diffusion of Innovation

Here is a video about diffusion of innovation and a case study in 3D social virtual worlds.
Let's enjoy it.

Resources 3 - Scenario planning.

The following video will provide you with a brief overview of scenario planning and a case study about the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Moreover, ScenarioThinking.org is an interesting resources about the same topic. Let's try!
http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Resources 2 - 8 steps to lead change

The following is an interesting video about Kotter's 8 steps change process. i think it is an innovative approach to implementing change in your organisation.

Resources 1 - The Fifth Discipline

Peter Senge briefly introduce the five disciplines: Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Visions, Team Learning and Systems Thinking. It also covers the success story of Judge Maria Filomena Singh of the Regional Trial Court of quezon City, Metropolitan Manila, Philippines from the Systems Thinking Perspective.

Activity 7 - Alec

Develop ideas of where you could incorporate the use of scenario planning in your organization

Organization uses scenario planning to develop flexible long-term plans. This method can assist organization to generate strategy options for decision making or policy. Moreover, it setup a planning process that enables change anticipation, preparedness, evaluatin and risk assessment.

There are many version of scenarios planning. Here is one that I will apply to my organization.  Dawon (2012) summarized it in the following figure.

Activity 4 - Comparison Table

What PD happens in your workplace? 

Workplace: 

Alec: Learning centre in an academic university 
Marco: Academic library
Martin: Academic library
Tammy: Education department in an Institute


Apply model: Shortland-Jones, Alderson, & Baker (2001)

	PD Programs	Vision	Skills
Alec	- academic or non-academic course -job related seminar and workshops	- new technology e.g. ICT, website	-provide assistant to adjust and modify the user interface of two system
Marco	-discussion broad	-user oriented	-learn from platform
Martin	-library related seminar -conference -leadership training program -basic skill set training course	-“Learning Hub” -leading library more services oriented.	-Learn from attending PD programs
Tammy	-continuing personal/professional development scheme -job related workshops	-life-long learning	-evaluate skills at performance management scheme (PMS) -suggest training course

	Incentives	Resources	Action Plan	Collegiality
Alec	-encourage member to give comments to assist changes	-provide professionals supporting, e.g. IT team, director	-introduce a simple action plan for processing the change	-gather instructors and students’ suggestion for further modification
Marco	-not enough incentives Suggestion: bonus system, money reward, allowance	-provide enough financial supporting	-implement an annual action plan -detailed annual report indicates every plan of action	-annual dinner -discussion broad
Martin	-not enough incentives -PD program within non-office hours	-provide enough financial supporting	-share knowledge learning from PD programs among colleagues	-sharing programs
Tammy	-salaries will be adjusted after evaluating at PMS	-provide financial sponsorship -offer a 50% course fee discount	-implement PMS every year –provide promotion interview	-Christmas party -sharing programs e.g. PMS -staff club