Article Analysis

Solution Preview

Let's take a closer look at the article and then how it might apply to the NYC Dept. of Education. the first section is drawn exclusively from the article by Koffman and Senge.

RESPONSE:

The article, "Communities of Commitment: The Heart of the Learning Organization," by Kofman and Senge proposed a learning environment in organizations. They argue that it is not an individual task, but it goes to the core of the organization culture. They propose that organizations have drifted into fragmentation; a culture that fragments our thoughts and detaches the world from self and community. This a barrier to the learning environment mainly because people have learned to control the environment, but detach from it. The human connection is lost. People have grown to focus on security at a high price that is often ignored, that of living in a bureaucratic organizations with no place for joy and learning. This is a loss of meaning.

According to Kofman and Senge, a learning environment is grounded in the following:

(a) a culture of love, humility, empathy and compassion
(b) a set of practices for generative conversations and coordinated actions, and
(c) a capacity to see and work with the flow of life as a system.

However, to be considered a learning organization, organizations need to regain balance by creating alternative ways of working and living together through incorporating the components of the learning environment into the organization. Therefore, it is proposed that businesses need to invent a new and more learning oriented model of business, education, health care, government and family. This is because a learning environment is contrary to traditional models. People need different attitudes and focus.

For example, to create balance, love and acceptance is treating someone as I-Thou ...