Organisations as Human Learning Systems - A Conversation with Thea Snow and Toby Lowe
Feb 16, 2025
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Thea Snow, Regional Director for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand at the Centre for Public Impact, and Toby Lowe, Professor of Public Management, discuss the adoption of Human Learning Systems in organizations. They delve into the frustrating disconnect between political promises and real-world complexities. The duo emphasizes the power of storytelling in navigating uncertainties and the importance of fostering environments of belonging within organizations. Their insights highlight the need for collaborative governance that prioritizes relationships and continuous learning.
The tension between accountability and trust challenges organizations to balance oversight with empowering individuals to thrive.
Adopting Human Learning Systems can transform management from rigid compliance to fostering collaborative growth and authentic learning.
Embracing 'safe uncertainty' allows organizations and educators to navigate unpredictability constructively, enhancing creativity and adaptability in their systems.
Deep dives
Balancing Control and Trust in Governance
The podcast discusses the tension between minimizing risk and fostering environments where people can thrive. This reflects a challenge faced by public servants and educators who often feel pressured to ensure safety and control, particularly in light of past misconducts within public institutions. While there is a need for accountability due to incidents of corruption, it is important not to overcorrect to the point of eroding trust in the majority of individuals who act in good faith. The underlying question is how to create effective systems that balance necessary oversight with the need to empower individuals within organizations.
Understanding Complex Systems and Accountability
There is a critical differentiation between present accountability practices and genuine accountability, especially in public service contexts. The discussion highlights how traditional public management methods, which rely heavily on controlling performance through target metrics, lead to gaming and superficial compliance rather than genuine accountability. Instead, a more effective approach would be to focus on how learning is achieved within complex systems, ensuring that accountability mechanisms emphasize collective learning and shared perspectives on organizational goals. This shift encourages a more organic form of accountability rooted in dialogue and cooperation, rather than compliance to top-down objectives.
Human Learning Systems as a Transformational Approach
Human Learning Systems are presented as a transformative framework for management and governance that shifts focus from control to collaborative growth and learning. This framework allows public servants and educators to experiment and learn together, fostering environments that prioritize collective insights over rigid compliance. The approach emphasizes the importance of diverse input and perspective-sharing, thereby encouraging teams to navigate the complexities of public service effectively. By embracing this mindset, organizations can better respond to changing circumstances and create conditions that enhance overall outcomes for the communities they serve.
Embracing Safe Uncertainty
The conversation reveals the importance of understanding how to engage with uncertainty in a constructive manner, termed 'safe uncertainty.' This concept encourages individuals and organizations to accept the unpredictability of complex environments and to foster conditions that allow for exploration and adaptation. By promoting shared understanding and collaboration, people can embrace the inherent uncertainties of their contexts without succumbing to despair or rigid structures. Such an approach not only benefits public service but also has profound implications for the education system, where embracing uncertainty can foster creativity and critical thinking in students.
The Power of Storytelling in Public Service
Storytelling is highlighted as an essential tool for navigating complex systems and fostering understanding among stakeholders in public service settings. Unlike quantitative data, which can oversimplify and misrepresent realities, stories provide rich context and nuances that bring individual experiences and the complexities of circumstances to light. By utilizing diverse narratives, organizations can better recognize patterns and unique cases, aiding decision-making and community engagement. Embracing stories encourages a more holistic view of accountability and learning, rendering the processes of governance more responsive and adaptive.
