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Our Libraries

February 19, 2002

Seeking a shared vision to create better libraries



"The Learning Organization" was a phase coined by Massachusetts Institute
of Technology professor Peter Senge in his 1994 landmark book, "The
Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization."



At the North Suburban Library System, we have been working to become
a Learning Organization for the past three years. We feel this is
important because the pace of change in our profession is so fast
and chaotic.



The Learning Organization is a flatter organization and it can move
very quickly. All employees share a vision and decisions are made
at every level. In the old style hierarchical organization, only bosses
make decisions and that's just too slow these days. The Learning Organization
embraces a paradox: Teamwork is essential and expected, but each individual
must have a strong personal commitment to his or her own growth and
development. Senge calls this "personal mastery." It's one of Senge's
five disciplines.



When we started this journey to become a Learning Organization,
we began with personal mastery. We all studied Steven Covey's best
selling "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and focused
on our personal visions for our lives. We asked ourselves: "Is working
at the North Suburban Library System exactly where I want to be right
now?"



Later, we studied the other disciplines: systems thinking, which
is about seeing wholes and identifying patterns, and team learning,
which includes learning how to dialog with others and truly listen.
It's also about the wonderful synergy that can develop in a well-functioning
team. Shared vision is the fourth discipline and the fifth is mental
models which is about learning to identify assumptions and being open
to change.



While I would say we are still in the process of becoming a Learning
Organization, we've made much progress. When a staff member has an
emergency or a deadline to meet, others pitch in and help without
even being asked. Before our Learning Organization work, this never
would have happened. Also, other staff members would not have known
enough about the big picture to have helped very effectively. The
emphasis on shared vision and communication has really made a difference.



At North Suburban we found the Learning Organization experience
so profound that we wrote grant proposals to extend the process to
public libraries in our area. The Ela Area Public Library, the Warren-Newport
Public Library, the Carey Area Library District and the Des Plaines
Public Library all participated in the projects. Visit those libraries
and ask staff members if they see a difference in the organization
as an effective workplace.



To find out more about the Learning Organization, look at Peter
Senge's book. It's also available in an audio book version. A companion
book we've found very helpful is Senge's "Fifth Discipline Fieldbook:
Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization."



The Learning Organization is now almost an industry of its own.
"Pegasus" is an annual institute featuring Learning Organization
speakers and workshops. Visit their Web site at www.pegasuscom.com.


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