The volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (short VUCA) world we currently live in asks for company-wide agility. Yet, agility in the literal sense that means companies need to be adaptive, responsive, fast, and nimble. Thus, although already created in the 90ies, the original idea of a learning organization, that is a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself, is more relevant than ever. Yet, how can such a learning organization come to life? BOSSA nova is one approach to company-wide agility by synthesizing Beyond Budgeting, Open Space, Sociocracy & Agility. The key to its success are so-called probes – small, safe-to-fail experiments based on hypotheses derived from reflection on the current situation as well as on theory. In this session, I will share various probes implemented by different companies that can guide the probing in your company to establish a learning organization.

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#agilebossanova
http://agilebossanova.org
Jutta Eckstein | @JuttaEckstein
www.JEckstein.com
Probe your Organization:
How you can implement a Learning Organization
with BOSSA nova

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WHAT? CHALLENGES

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Learning Organization
Learning organizations are organizations
that …
− encourage adaptive and generative
learning,
− encourage their employees to think
outside the box and
− to work in conjunction with other
employees to find the best answer to
any problem.
Peter Senge, 1990

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Is Trust Cheaper?

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Is Trust Cheaper?
◼ Background:
– Traditional travel expense procedures are burdensome and assume people can’t be
trusted.
◼ Hypothesis:
– Such procedures cost more than they save and are demoralizing.
◼ Experiment:
– Pre-survey and audit. Try for three months in a few units with other units as controls.
Post-survey and audit.

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Can peer decision-making about promotion support
alignment?
◼ Background:
– Even very egalitarian companies have hierarchies that require a promotion system.
◼ Hypothesis:
– If we use peer decision making to make decisions about promotions, we can separate performance
review from decisions such as promotion that have an element of competition.
◼ Experiment:
– Pre-survey to assess opinion on promotion policy
– Try with a group consent decision making for deciding on bonuses.
– Collect spontaneous feedback and post-survey after 3 months. If satisfaction improved, extend to
other groups.

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Learning Organization
“A learning organization is a group of
people who are continually enhancing their
capabilities to create what they want to
create.”
Peter Senge, 1990

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BOSSA nova for
Implementing a Learning Organization

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Many Thanks and… Stay in Touch:
Jutta Eckstein, @JuttaEckstein
Jutta@JEckstein.com
http://JEckstein.com
#agilebossanova
http://agilebossanova.org
Company-wide Agility with BOSSA nova
http://tinyurl.com/AgileBossaNova