Hi Richard and others interested in Groupware & Organisational Learning
For the past few years a group of friends, all partners in a consulting
firm called the Win Win Group, have been co-creating a team based system
for applying the proposition that "effective planning is learning". We
presently have eleven sites operational with various kinds of teams in
businesses large and small. The system presently consists of a variety of
developmental processes linked to a large formatted whiteboard and tied
together by a series of linked meetings that teams use on an ongoing
basis. We have been developing a software base over the last eighteen
months or so to help us link up teams who would benefit by knowing about
each others planning and learning across sites, between customers/supliers
etc. We are also developing a "personal organiser designed for learning"
that sits underneath the team learning calendar but uses the same
principles and is driven by the software.
The feedback we have from the teams using the system is that, providing
they use the developmental processes to ensure they develop as a team
rather than simply calling themselves one, the system has helped them make
the transition to planning as learning - and that the value that they add
to their own lives and to their respective organisations has increased
substantially as a result.
We think the system has significant potential to help groups of people who
work together become teams and in helping teams operate at increasingly
high levels of intelligence. In particular the system helps to build the
capacity for systems consciousness - with the initial system in view being
the team itself and gradually unfolding to include the larger systems it
is imbedded in.
A current question is "how do we test the system to check it truly
represents an innovation in 'teamware' and find some 'partners in
learning' to work with us to further develop and commercialise the
system?"
You wrote recently:
> 3) Learning org + groupware is for creating organizations that are both.
> That is, large, human, and high performing.
This comment is what inspired me to wonder whether you have already
recognised that issue that is in front of us. But perhaps we could call
this teamware - rather than groupware?
Rick, or others, who do you know of who might be most useful to enter a
conversation with on what we have been developing? I am visiting
California next week, from New Zealand, so perhaps a personal connection
may be possible.
Hoping you can advise me.
Warm regards,
-- Mark Feenstra mark@winwin.iconz.co.nz Win Win Group PO Box 99 193 Auckland, New Zealand Ph. 64 9 307 0888 Fax. 64 9 307 0891 YFCAATTWOTW (yours for creative action aligned to the well being of the whole)