Building a Learning Culture
Successful collaborations learn. They learn about the status quo. They learn about the forces that hold that status quo in place. They learn from the outcomes generated by their efforts to disrupt that status quo. And they never stop learning.
Three practices that foster a learning culture are:
Challenge assumptions: We all carry a feast of assumptions with us when we begin to explore how to address a wicked, persistent problem. We need to be willing – even eager – to challenge our assumptions because many things we are certain are true simply are not. We need to be willing to ask: “Do we really know what we think we know?” For example, the assumption that teenage pregnancy contributed to high rates of infant mortality drove infant health strategies in a community. However, a closer examination of the data showed no babies born to teenage mothers died in their first year of life. This example also reinforces the value of the next practice.
Embrace data: To challenge our assumptions and build shared understanding we need data – quantitative and qualitative data. In an increasingly polarized environment, trusted data is more difficult to develop, but no less important. Data comes in many forms, from personal stories to raw numbers. In an age of rapid change and uncertainty, data keeps us from flying blind. To strengthen our learning culture, we should use data as a flashlight, not a hammer. For example, a collective effort in Summit County to improve third grade reading used data not to shame programs with poor outcomes but to identify and better serve students who were very close to achieving reading proficiency.
Inquiry: The most important words we can utter to build a learning culture are: “I don’t know the answer, but I trust that together we can figure this out.” The adaptive challenges embedded within the wicked, persistent problems faced by our communities don’t have technical solutions. The solutions emerge over time as we learn more about the forces that hold the inequitable status quo in place and what it will take to disrupt those forces. Inquiry accelerates the emergence of solutions. By asking new, compelling questions and listening deeply to the answers they generate we can identify fresh opportunities to catalyze enduring, positive change. Inquiry helps us get past the old, rotten questions that perpetuate the status quo. Two rotten questions fueled unproductive conversations in Cleveland about its entrepreneurial climate for nearly a decade. “Why aren’t there more entrepreneurs with the talent needed to start high growth companies?” and “Why aren’t more Cleveland investors willing to risk their capital on high-growth potential companies?” A new question -- “What would it look like if Cleveland was home to many promising entrepreneurs and investors willing to invest in them?” – spurred a fresh exploration of what could be done to transform entrepreneurship in the community. Communities with a learning culture are comfortable asking, “Why, despite all of our best efforts, are we still unable to produce equitable, outstanding outcomes?”
Collaborations with a learning culture never stop practicing inquiry, embracing data and challenging assumptions. They know that learning is continuous because so is change. Disruptions never stop, and of late disruptions appear to be growing in scope and scale. Disruptive times demand faster learning. Communities that learn together have a chance to thrive. Those that get stuck will be left behind.
