Learning for Optimal Performance

MBA: Academic Year – 2025 – 26, IIM Nagpur

Organisational Learning: What Differentiates

Arrogance Denial Attachment to old success Ignoring Customer Shifts

Curiosity Experimentation Reinvention Leadership that encourages learning

 LEGO: Unlearning - Learning

The Crisis: Empire starts to crack Change: Direction

▪ Clear Purpose – “Inspire and develop
▪ Over expansion and lack of focus. builders for tomorrow
▪ Loss of Identity. Chasing trends than ▪ Decisions based on guiding principles
building on what made it iconic
▪ Operational inefficiency
▪ Digital disruption
Change: Activities
MAD
▪ Simplified operations – outsourcing
non-core, focus on SCM
Diagnosis: What went wrong
▪ Complexity had exploded
Change: Magnitude
▪ Disconnected culture
▪ Core business ignored ▪ Massive organisational overhaul
▪ From creative chaos to disciplined innovation
▪ Cut non-core ventures
 Leadership in Developing Learning Orientation

▪ Promote a culture of inquiry and experimentation

▪ Encourage open communication and feedback loop

▪ Invest in upskilling and reskilling programmes

▪ Culture of Risk Taking and experimentation

▪ Lead by example – managers as continuous learner

Four Innovation Cultures

More Anxious Culture

Satisfactory for break through innovation but weak at
incremental learning (due to turnover)
Innovation Team
Anxious Culture
Culture Comfortable Culture
INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

Satisfactory for incremental innovation, good for

cumulative learning (due to low turnover)

Distresed Culture
Distressed Culture Comfortable Culture Poor at learning and innovation (due to high turnover and
lack of knowledge sharing)

Less Innovation Team Culture

Low High Best for both break through and incremental innovation.
Good for cumulative learning (low turnover
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Three Forms of Professional Development

Learning

Professional
Development

Connecting Creating
Learning Needs Identification and Development

Potential sources of Learning

Needs Identification EDUCATION EXPOSURE

▪ Performance Management ▪ Coaching / Mentoring

▪ General Management ▪ Buble assignments
▪ Capabilities Evaluation
Programmes ▪ Short term projects
▪ Manager Feedback
▪ Short term deputation
▪ Self-Assessment
(national/international)
▪ Personal aspirations ▪ Technical / functional ▪ Shadowing
Programmes
▪ 360 Degree Feedback
EXPERIENCE
▪ Certificate Programmes
▪ Job Requirements ▪ Job Rotation (horizontal)
▪ Degree Programmes
(doctoral / Masters) ▪ Promotion to new role
▪ Succession Plan for future
positions ▪ Long term deputation
Individual Development Plan

Experience + Exposure + Education

On-the-Job In addition to Job Off-the-Job

70% 20% 10%

Typical Learning Landscape in Organisations
Intentional Learning : 3X3X3 Approach

Three Goals

Intentional
Learning
Three Months Three other people
Source : McKinsey, April 2021
Learning Curve at Different Career Stages

Ex Exploration
High
T Trial
Es Establishment
M Mastery
M E
Performance

Es
M E
T
Ex
M E Es

Es T
Ex
T
Ex

Low
0 1 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5
3
 Learning and Practicing

A LEARNING OBJECTIVE A LEARNING OBJECTIVE

I CONTINUED I DROPPED
Learning Perpectives
What drew you
to this objective?

Outside game:
What kept you engaged Technique, skills, basic
or prevented you from moves
continuing?
Inside game:
Personal aspiration and
drive for results
Why?
Learning Curve at Different Career Stages
Individual Development Plan

# Competence Development area Action plan Timeline Status* Remarks

- make a list of recurring issues in

the last three months - Identify 3 priorities that you and your team
Attention to details
- Do root casuse analysis and will wotk on in next 6 months
1 Analyzing and Planning (investigating details in order 31.03.2021
coming up with solutions - Involve everyone in finding solution to any
to understand the situation
- To make a presentation to the problem by collating and analyzing the data
core team

- Effectively manage the - Brainstorm with the department

resources to achieve to discuss the issues faced - Find out how loaded or not loaded each
2 Resource Management 31.03.2021
maximum productivity - Taking suggestions and creating member of your team
- Delegation of work the action plan accordingly

Demonstrating belief that - Having a team meetings led by

people are important in their respective department heads
3 Valuing People own right as well as being - identify one strangth of each 31.12.2020 Appreciating people in front of team
centrail to success of the direct reportee and making a plan
organisation to utliize it in their day to day work
Career and Succession

Key Practices to support succession :

[Link] 2+2+2 concept for upward growth

o As a responsible manager support movement of employees to :
Two different functions + two different locations + two Units (Employees
should have at least meet 2 of the conditions)

[Link] (Individual Development Plan)

o Support employee to capture development plan in the IDP section during
the PMS discussion.
oComplete the IDP dialogue with employees for understanding aspirations
and build in development as part of the succession plan.
 Intentional Change Theory
▪ Find trusting relationship with
people who support your change ▪ Define your personal vision and aspirations
process ▪ Setting long term and short term goals
▪ Identify coach or mentor ▪ Envisioning what you want to achieve

▪ Put your plan into action

▪ Experiment new behaviours,
thoughts and feelings ▪ Assess your current reality
▪ Identify strength and weaknesses
▪ Explore your current attitudes, ambitions,
assumptions
▪ Seek feedback from others
▪ Create personal “Balance Sheet”

▪ Create plan what you need to do to move

towards your vision Source: Richard Boyatzis
▪ Identify your learning style
 Strengthening Our Learning

RAISE
ELIMINATE
Strengthen
Reduce Flaws
Strengths
What acts and activities do I
need to..
REDUCE CREATE
Skills to Add
Clear the Sky

Adapted from Blue Ocean Leadership GRID

Kolb’s Learning Cycle

Four Learning Styles

1. Activist Learners
Learn by doing

2. Reflectors
Learn by observing and thinking

3. Theorists
Understand concept behind actions

4. Pragmatists
Keen on trying things out
Activist Learner

Activists are people who learn by doing. They like to involve themselves
in new experiences, and will ‘try anything once’. They tend to act first and
consider the consequences afterwards.

Activists learn best when:

▪ involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities;

▪ thrown in at the deep end;
▪ working with others in problem solving, games, role-playing exercises;
▪ able to lead a group

Activists learn least when:

▪ listening to lectures or reading long explanations;

▪ reading, writing and thinking on their own;
▪ analysing and interpreting lots of data;
▪ following precise instructions.
Reflectors
Reflectors learn by observing and thinking about what happened. They like
to consider all the possible angles and implications before coming to a
considered opinion. They spend time listening and observing, and tend to
be cautious and thoughtful.

Reflectors learn best when:

▪ able to stand back and observe first;

▪ given time to think and investigate before commenting or acting;
▪ given an opportunity to review what has happened;
▪ doing tasks without tight deadlines

Reflectors learn least when:

▪ forced to take a lead in a group;

▪ doing things without preparation;
▪ rushed by deadlines.
Theorist

Theorists like to understand the theory behind the actions. They need
models, concepts and facts in order to learn. They like to analyse and
synthesise, and feel uncomfortable with subjective judgements.

Theorists learn best when

▪ an activity is backed up by ideas and concepts that form a model,

system or theory
▪ in a structured situation with a clear purpose;
▪ they have the chance to question and probe;
▪ required to understand a complex situation

Theorists learn least:

▪ in situations that emphasise emotions and feelings;

▪ when activities are unstructured or ambiguous;
▪ when asked to act without knowing the principles or concepts
involved
Pragmatist

Pragmatists are keen on trying things out. They look for new ideas that can
be applied to the problem in hand. They like to get on with things and tend to be impatient with
open-ended discussions; they are practical, down-to earth people

Pragmatists learn best when:

▪ there is an obvious link between the topic and a current need;

▪ they are shown techniques with clear practical advantages;
▪ they can try things out with feedback from an expert;
▪ they can copy an example, or emulate a role model

Pragmatists learn least when:

▪ there is no immediate practical benefit;

▪ there are no clear guidelines on how to do it;
▪ it appears to be ‘all theory’.
 Activist

Summary of strengths Summary of weaknesses:

• Flexible and open • Tendency to take the immediately obvious action

minded.
without thinking.
• Often take unnecessary risks.
• Happy to have a go.
• Tendency to do too much themselves and hog
• Happy to be exposed to new situations. the limelight.

• Optimistic about anything new and therefore • Rush into action without sufficient preparation.
unlikely to resist change.
• Get bored with implementation/consolidation
 Reflectors

Summary of strengths: Summary of weaknesses:

• Careful. • Tendency to hold back from direct participation

• Thorough and methodical • Slow to make up their minds and reach a

decision.
• Thoughtful
• Tendency to be too cautious and not take enough
risks.
• Good at listening to others and assimilating
information.
• Not assertive - they aren't particularly
forthcoming and have no "small talk".
• Rarely jump to conclusions
 Theorist

Summary of strengths: Summary of weaknesses:

• Logical "vertical" thinkers. • Restricted in lateral thinking.

• Rational and objective. • low tolerance for uncertainty, disorder and ambiguity

• Good at asking probing questions • Intolerant of anything subjective or intuitive.

• Disciplined approach. • Full of "shoulds, oughts and musts".

 Pragmatist

Summary of strengths: Summary of weaknesses:

• Keen to test things out in practice • Tendency to reject anything without an obvious
application.
• Practical, down to earth, realistic.
• Not very interested in theory or basic principles.
• Businesslike - gets straight to the
point. • Tendency to seize on the first expedient solution to a
problem.
• Technique oriented.
• Impatient with waffle.