The Right Kind of Learning

I admire Eugene A. Woods for leading us to think and act like an academic learning health system. I believe that just as Amy Edmondson suggests in The Fearless Organization, creating psychological safety is an essential element to building a learning culture. In my opinion, The Fearless Organization will go down in the annals of time as one of the most impactful pieces of work for corporations if adhered to.

I deeply believe that the culture of fearlessness for speaking up must be present for organizations to stay ahead versus fall behind, and a key criterion of a learning system is active and respectful debate. Amy’s recent book, The Right Kind of Wrong, which I am just now diving into, even by title has me thinking deeply! If leaders do not encourage debate and create safety to ask questions and get to clarity, it will be impossible to stay ahead because the right kind of learning will not happen.

The motto “fail fast and fail cheap” became such a buzz term after Eric Ries wrote The Lean Start Up, and that saying never settled well with me. I prefer, “learn fast and learn cheap,” especially in healthcare. A good friend of mine, a pediatric cardiologist, and I were talking recently about the learning principles of medicine that parallel innovation: diagnosing before prescribing, harnessing theory, and utilizing the scientific method to gain evidence. All of these are designed to produce "the right kind of learning".

The speed of learning is becoming even more important. Organizations that will be relevant in the future need systems and culture in place today to enable quicker learning and innovation. So, what can we do to create a culture of fearlessness and reward the “right kind of wrong” in our innovation work? A few steps come to mind.

1.??? Establish an innovation learning system with a standard set of language, tools, methods and education.? Create a system that is focused on learning by seeking evidence, validating or invalidating assumptions, and making go/no go decisions based on that information. You will gain insights over time and refine that system. W. Edwards Deming said, “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing.”? Maybe you know what you’re doing, but if others can’t replicate or understand it, then your ability to serve the transformation of an organization is limited.

2.??? Use the methods and tools to create a space of psychological safety to say, “I don’t know for sure.” Utilizing the business model canvas and value proposition canvas from Alex Osterwalder to guide an “assumption burst” activity will create a safe space for people to say “I believe…” but maybe don’t have enough information yet to lay down big bets. ?

3.??? Once these assumptions are documented, complete the scientific method circle. Design the experiments, prioritize the tests based on assumption risk, and as Steve Blank says – get out of the office and test your assumptions through observational research and deep interviews.? The speed of learning is becoming more important and the key will be to move through the scientific method loop as fast as possible.

Those are just a few things you can do through a system to create the “right kind” of learning. And remember, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know that just ain’t so.”? Be willing to learn. Reach out if you want to talk shop!?