Robert:
The Center for Quality of Management in Cambridge, MA., has a book called
"The New American TQM: Four Revolutions in Quality Management" by Shiba,
et al. In the preface is mention of pieces of the model you mentioned,
and that it is derived from the following work: Matthew Culligan, Suzanne
Deakins and Arthur Young, "Back to Basics Management", New York: Facts on
File, Inc. 1983. Here's what they say:
Learning and skill acquisition has the following three parts:
1. Information + commentary <----- knowledge
2. Knowledge + feedback <------- understanding
3. Understanding + drive to use and schedule <---- skill
For the first, when people talk about something they have read, the words
they use tend to come right out of the informtion source; this is
knowledge. If the subject contains pure factsm this way of learning can
be quite useful.
With the second, you deepen knowledge into understanding by speaking about
the subject with someone who already understands it. attempting to use the
knowledge in different ways. In turn, the person who already knows the
subject can correct any misunderstandings the learners might have and
thereby enable them to deepen their mastery of the subject.
With number 3, ideas have to be used and practices before they become
skills. It is a rare discipline in which a person can jump immediately
from talking about something to doing it at a fully profiessional skill
level, in a real setting for real stakes. In practices, developing a
skill useful in actual situations takes both motivation--a powerful reason
to use the new skills instead of playing it safe--and a commitment to use
the skills, which often takes the form of a schedule. Once a skill is
developed, benefits can be given to the customer and money can be made.
Hope this is somewhat helpful.
-- Barry Mallis Total Quality Resource Manager MARKEM Corporation Keene, NH 03431 bmallis@markem.com