Lessons Learned About Lessons Learned

Read the paper, "Lessons Learned About Lessons Learned" then answer the following questions. Business leaders must think about quality as a holistic concept involving product/service quality, process quality, etc. all residing within an enabling culture. For example, an organizational culture that values facts and data, not opinion and power, is more apt to be able to recognize quality problems then work together to resolve them.

Also, an organization that values learning and sharing knowledge will be able to recognize opportunities for significant improvement. This paper offers a framework for thinking about and discussing how organizations identify, capture, retrieve, and apply what they know.

RELATED TO A PAYROLL OFFICE, IN WHICH 4 PAYROLL SPECIALISTS IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT PROCESS A PAYROLL FOR ABOUT 1500 EMPLOYEES

1. The paper describes four ways that organizations capture the lessons they have learned. Using several sentences, describe each of the four and provide an example.

2. Think about your workplace, or an organization with which you may be familiar. How effectively does the organization capture and use what it learns? Which, if any, of the four ways mentioned in the paper are practiced?

3. Assume you are the newly assigned manager of the department or organization. What steps would you take to improve how the organization captures and uses what it learns?