Self
Managed Learning
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Exploration in Self Managed Learning |
| Self
Managed Learning has very much come of age. It is no longer the strange
experiment it was perceived to be back in 1979 when the first SML programmes
were launched. Lots of respectable organisations have used SML (click here) and the approach and
philosophy is part of many peoples' lives. But although hundreds of people
have been on SML programmes, that's still a tiny part of the population.
One aim of the Centre is to let more people know of the benefits of SML - but not in an overly pushy way. People need to know what SML can offer - and then have the opportunity to decide for themselves. However, at present few people know that this is a possible route to learning and development. Often people hear of SML and then approach it with disbelief. As one person commented: "I've always felt that this was how learning ought to be - but I've assumed that it wasn't possible in reality." We need to share that 'possible reality'. But we also need to continue to evolve the methods and applications of SML. The CSML Network will
be an arena for such continued development - so that we can all continue
our own learning in a congenial and trusting environment.
A final point here
is that the purpose of the Centre and it's Network ought to evolve over
time. The facets outlined here are only a starter - and we need the views
of people to be continually fed in to the Board of the Centre in order
to facilitate this evolution. Ian
Cunningham The list that follows provides examples of organisations that have used SML for in-house programmes or have been part of the SML Consortium. It is not a complete list and it does not cover the hundreds of organisations that have sponsored people on 'open' or 'public' programmes. Abbey National |
At
the last meeting of the group that has been involved in forming the Centre's
Network, we experimented with using an approach to 'dialogue' in order to
further our understanding of 'self managing'. I have now developed this
a bit under the label of 'Purposive Structured Dialogue' - not just to have
a fancy label, but because I want to develop something different from the
Bohm/Senge model of dialogue that is becoming popular. (Anyone wanting more
information on the Bohm/Senge approach can get some ideas from Senge's 'The
Fifth Discipline').Part of the interest in 'dialogue' has come from former
set members wanting to take a 'set' way of working into their teams - and
realising that you can't directly transpose a set into a team. It seemed
to me that the 'dialogue' concept had some merit as a partial answer to
this problem. Another part of the interest in developing this methodology
is to further the notion of 'exploration' as a key process in developing
ourselves and our organisations. SML needs an exploratory dimension to it
- otherwise we get into the arid re-cycling of ideas.
Below I've reproduced a handout on exploration I have drafted to test at an up-coming conference. It isn't self explanatory - but I would be happy to discuss it with anyone. (I've put a 'copyright' on it to protect against 'pirates' but I'm OK about anyone contacting me if they want to use it.) NOTES TOWARDS SOME PROCESSES FOR EXPLORING Exploring is connected to learning (as a process) - it is a frame for particular kinds of learning. It describes an approach to learning. Exploration is a fundamental process in a 'learning business' - it is one mode of defining a 'learning business' as different from a learning organisation (where the latter is used only to define first order learning - see Bateson). Exploring is a metaphor which implies the existence of explorers going into new territory - but the territory may only be new to them and their culture (organisation). Someone else may have been there earlier - but they haven't communicated this to the culture of the explorers. Or they have - but in a language that is not understood. Exploring may be of territory that proves of no obvious value in the short term - or ever. But the process of exploring could be justified in its own terms (ie not just in terms of instrumental pay-off). The value of 'exploration as drama' may be underestimated. Exploring may be carried out by looking ahead into the new territory - it may not need the risk of stepping into the unknown. But it may. Abduction is a generally useful process for exploration (Bateson). In our field here are some pointers to assist exploring:-
©
Ian Cunningham, 1995 |
