17 December LiP: Structures for LIP

Structures and their meaning for LiP

1) “Structure follows function” – that is the slogan for the most enterprises. Depending on their functions enterprises have built up their special structures: from vision and mission to the organisation’s goal(s), strategies were built to reach the goals. Tasks and processes were created to fulfil the tasks and to meet the goals. All could go on running in that well known way if there would not be so many changes: we can recognise many changes e.g.

+ In the relation between social organisations and their clients (e.g. vision and mission, needs and goals are changing)

+ With the increasing complexity more flexibility for organisations and staff-members is needed

+ Productivity has to be improved and there is a high pressure put on costs (there is the incredible public belief to the Hydra of “more services-more quality-lower costs” all around Europe).

Organisations have to re/act in a professional way: new functions get defined and structures get adapted or changed. Your experience will confirm that: it is possible to change.

2) The same effect is regarding to learning in practice (LiP). If the importance of LiP is recognised, if know-how and new knowledge is experienced as an important and effective component of the organisation’s services, if LiP is seen as an essential competitive advantage organisations will start to re-organise and to set up structures that LiP will flow. The explanations of some definitions about informal learning that it is running only by chance and unconsciously are misleading!

3) Depending on your intentions (goals and aims) / of your team / of your organisation and depending on the offered structures (there are different kinds of learning spaces available)  and processes LiP may run on different levels - from a low to a very professional level.

4) Nobody is able to evade LiP – it is at least running in an unconscious way. But is that enough for you? Will your client and your team colleagues be satisfied? Will you fulfil the expectations of your team? Will you meet the vision and mission of your organisation? What is about your own vision and mission? I only can invite you to start to implement some structures about LiP (context, situation, learning processes, structures). Start to set up your own LiP-structure! Recognise it in your everyday situations. You will discover a wide range of unexpected possibilities!

Which kinds of LiP structures have you used within the last 4 weeks and what do you need to create and to design a LiP structure in your team?

Venerand Erkinger, Mosaik GmbH, LLC-coordinator, Austria