Leading People: A CSML Course

KEY TAKEAWAYS
MODULE 3: SCHOOLS AS LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS
In this module, you focused on creating a learning organization. You learned that developing a learning frame occurs when a leader
recognizes the important contributions of others and adopts a stance on hierarchy, presenting themselves in a way that encour ages
teamwork and fosters mutual respect, leading to a psychologically safe environment. You learned that psycho logical safety allows teams
to learn from failure and reach across boundaries. You also learned that this process, called execution-as-learning, allows organization to
learn as they go, operating through iterative cycles of diagnosing, designing, acting, and reflecting to move the organization towards
success.

Establishing a Learning Framework Case Study 1: Dr. Todd Boucher

• A learning frame is a way of deliberately changing your behavior and mindset. It helps you Dr. Todd Boucher, Principal of Popp’s Ferry
learn your way to success. Any time you have a problem that lacks an obvious solution, you
have to consciously and formally move into the learning frame. Elementary School in Biloxi, Mississippi,
arrived at a school that was not producing solid
educational results for most students, and the
conditions were not optimistic. Todd
Learning A learning frame works well when the work
implemented a full-scale turnaround process
Frame will involve solving new problems.
that included changing mindsets, modifying
systems and structures for analyzing student
data, and building a psychologically safe
Four Iterative Steps of Learning Frames: environment. By developing a learning
1. Enrollment – Communicate to others that they are being specifically selected for a organization and changing teacher practice to
project or role. Let them know why they are needed and that their contributions improve student outcomes, Todd and his team
matter whether the project succeeds or not. This makes participants feel a shared achieved important progress in delivering
sense of purpose and commitment to the project.
better results for Popp’s Ferry students.
2. Preparation – There are meetings, trainings, or practice sessions where team
members can safely explore new ideas or behaviors without pressure, and they
can learn to work together.
3. Trial – Here is where you start doing the actual work and try new concepts, Case Study 2: Dr. William Healy & Dr.
processes, or tools. It’s not about getting it right the first time, it’s about Michael Thompson
experimenting and being curious. Every action is seen as an opportunity to learn.
Dr. William Healy, Orthopedic Surgeon and
4. Reflection – Trial and reflection are the basis of a learning cycle that fuels
former chairman of Orthopedic Surgery and
successful implementation. Reflection doesn’t have to take a lot of time, it can be a
quick process where members reflect on questions such as “What did we expect to Dr. Michael Thompson, Orthopedic Surgeon,
happen, what actually happened, what’s the difference, and why?” both at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center,
share about their experience with morbidity
• Leaders are in a position to deliberately use framing to help focus attention and motivate and mortality meetings, the longstanding
action. They should present themselves in a way that encourages teamwork and fosters
mutual respect – steps crucial to tradition in medicine where surgeons
helping others share information, ask questions, and experiment while taking on new work. evaluate medical errors and complications,
an unpopular event for a profession fearful of
• Reinforce a learning frame at your school by: 1) Being explicit about the fact that people failure. To learn from failures, Dr. Healy
should be using a learning frame for a specific meeting or discussion; 2) Modeling the
interpersonal and collaborative behaviors that you want your team to own; and 3) implemented new strategies, along with Dr.
Explaining these behaviors in practical terms. Thompson, to prevent repetition of errors and
improve patient care.
Psychological Safety
• Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or
mistakes. It is about creating an environment where candor feels appropriate.

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How to build psychological safety:

• First, frame the work as a learning endeavor. Make the uncertainty ahead explicit. Emphasize interdependence. “We’ve got
to have everybody’s brains and voices in the game to do our best work.”

• Second, acknowledge your own fallibility. None of us is omniscient. Routinely say things like, “I might miss something; I
need to hear from you.” That creates more safety for speaking up.

• And third, model curiosity. Ask a lot of genuine questions. Questions call for answers – and most people feel very awkward
not answering them! So, questions create opportunities for others to speak up.
Benefits of Psychological Safety:

Removes
obstacles to
Enables Supports
Encourages Mitigates Promotes pursuing
clarity of productive
speaking up failure innovation goals for
thought conflict
achieving
performance
Increases accountability
Leadership Behaviors that Cultivate Psychological Safety:

Be Acknowledge Highlight
Be willing to Use
accessible the limits of Invite failures as Hold people Set
display concrete
and current participation learning accountable boundaries
fallibility language
approachable knowledge opportunities

Continued Improvement: Learning from Failure

• Failure is inevitable and learning from failure takes courage. Lessons and
improvement opportunities are lost when conversation and deep analysis are
stifled by blame. Use discipline and smart procedures to detect failures and
use analytical techniques to delve deeper, to go beyond the quick fixes, and to
learn the right lessons and implement the best solutions.
• Process knowledge is knowledge of how to produce a desired result—
regardless of whether that result is a perfectly built car, a delicious burger, or a
successful surgery. The process knowledge spectrum is a tool that
characterizes work based on the maturity of our knowledge about how to
produce a desired result.

Execution-as-Learning
• Execution-as-learning requires iterative cycles of action and
collective reflection. These cycles have four essential steps:
diagnosing, designing, acting, and reflecting.

• First, diagnosing the situation, challenge, or problem

facing the organization, including how much is currently
known about how to execute in such a situation.

• Second, designing an appropriate, specific action plan to

address the situation or challenge.

• Third, acting on the new plan, viewing that action as an

experiment from which to learn.

• Fourth, reflecting on the process, evaluating results, and

considering what to change--to begin a new cycle.

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