Andrew Sense

Learning Generators: Project Teams Re-Conceptualized

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:56 PDT

This paper offers a conception of a project team from a learning perspective. This conception includes project teams being considered "learning generators" by being an amalgam of many different "communities of practice" (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002), which stimulate an embyonic form of a new community of practice. Barriers to situated learning between project team members within the project environment are also illuminated. This paper presents practical structural attributes that form "learning bridges" to overcome these learning barriers within project teams. Additionally, issues for research into project learning are explored.

Spiralling up or spinning out: a guide for reflecting on action research practice

Richard Badham et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:55 PDT

This paper offers a theoretical 'action research spiral' model to guide reflection on the dual client focus of action research. While theoretically exploring and highlighting the tensions and dilemmas created by this dual client focus, this paper will argue for a greater degree of reflection on action research practice and utilize vignettes from action research cases to illustrate those reflective processes. It is concluded that further discussion and reflection on the process of action research is an important component of social science's contribution to phronetic knowledge.

Exploring the politics of project learning

Andrew J. Sense et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:54 PDT

Competitive advantage for project success will only be realized when project team members effectively access, absorb and apply the multiple learning opportunities that exist within and across projects and, manage the political dimension effectively. These items as individual entities are important project variables to be addressed. Both are also linked. In making a contribution to understanding this nexus, this paper combines and explores case study research findings from ‘within a project’ and ‘across projects’ from two countries, which illuminates some ‘central agitators’ of politics impacting project learning. These revelations have implications for both practitioners and project management researchers.

The conditioning of project participants authority to learn within projects

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:53 PDT

This paper provides a rich case study insight into the dynamics of learning within a project and explores the conditioning of project participants’ initial ’authority to learn’ within a setting. This conditioning refers to how aspects of the socio-cultural environment in which a project is immersed, impact the participants’ real or perceived authority (which they bring into a project) to want to, or to be able to pursue learning activity. The paper identifies and discusses three conditioners of participants’ perceptions of their authority to lead their project learning activities and makes a contribution to better understanding the dilemmas of practically supporting intra-project learning.

Driving the bus from the rear passenger seat: control dilemmas of participative action research

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:52 PDT

What do you do when you want to participate and let the other participants in a participative action research study 'lead the process, but feel you know what needs to be done and are motivated to 'lead the process yourself? What are some of the key issues for the participant action researcher to consider in relation to this nexus? I might suggest it is like trying to drive the bus from the rear passenger seat - wanting to genuinely participate as a passenger but still wanting some degree of control over the destination. This paper presents reflective empirical 'practice data supporting insights into this dilemma concerning control and participation faced by participative action researchers. The dilemmas and concluding considerations presented are founded on a two-year participative action research study on learning within a project team undertaking an organizational change project.

You are the rats: Action research, academic forums and the reflective practice of professional bricoleurs

Andrew J. Sense et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:51 PDT

"I saw the University as helping us to reflect on what we are doing- they are the expert reflectors. This is particularly what I saw as X's role. Sometimes his inteIjections go above their heads, and his nine words or less, statements need to have some explanation, and I should feed this back to him. I also see the University as playing a visionary role, helping to show us new things, about what is possible. I don't see the University as helping to pull the team together - that is when it gets confusing. They are observing us, they are looking at us as the rats, and when they see something that they think needs to be addressed, they can feed this back to us - and this is where teaching and formal learning comes in. This is a difficult role for the University. I can see some of the University people just squirming, you can see it in their face, that they want to intervene. They know something about what we are doing but are not imparting the knowledge. This can piss people off. They are withholding what they know and not helping. But it can also piss people off if they come in too early, and tell us what is going on and what to do, and not let us wallow around for a while, and learn. This is what I see as a major problem for the University. As you observe us, at what point do you reflect the learning and feedback, and yet not prostitute the learning or dirty the data. . .. We are the rats, the factory is your laboratory. But when we are looking at the role of the University, you are the rats." Plant Manager and Industry Sponsor of an Action Research Project

Responsibility for occupational health and safety outcomes in the labour hire industry: a tripartite arrangement?

Andrew J. Sense et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:50 PDT

Learning within and across projects: A comparison of frames

Marc Antoni et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:49 PDT

In a world of global markets and fast changing competitive environments organizations need to embrace flexibility and adaptability in response to these environmental challenges. One organizational response to these conditions is that the classical functional structures of organizations are now more and more complemented by temporal organizations or projects. Projects are used to accomplish a diverse and often complex set of organizational goals or changes that would otherwise be less obtainable by the organization, or, that would overstrain the ability of the permanent organization to achieve successful outcomes. The diverse raft of projects that organizations do pursue can comprise projects such as new product development, technical construction, through to organizational change projects. Within all this project variety, learning processes that support knowledge generation and dispersion offers a means of improving the flexibility and adaptability of individuals and the organization to these environmental challenges. A central characteristic of projects is their predetermined temporal nature, which presents a number of phenomena constructed differently from that found in traditional organizational systems e.g. specificity of focus on project objectives, micro-political dynamics, internal and external relationships dynamics, learning requirements, information coordination, and, there is the development of individuals and the organization's ability to contribute to the future competitive ability of the whole organization. With the ongoing development of individual and organizational learning being an increasingly central source of sustainability and competitiveness, it is important to develop a better understanding of the learning phenomena associated with projects. Numerous publications and practitioners confirm that a winning combination of project work and learning from experiences is hard to find. As Karen Ayas states, "learning does not happen naturally, it is a complex process that needs to be managed. It requires deliberate attention, commitment and continuous investment of resources " (Ayas 1998). Despite this opportunity, members of project teams do not actively recognize and engage a deliberate 'learning focus' within or across the management of their project activities. As such, they tend to not establish systems or frameworks to actively facilitate and optimize their learning within or between projects. The goal of this paper is to introduce and compare two frames for project learning. The frames explored illuminate learning within projects (Intra-Project Learning) and learning between projects (Inter-Project Learning). The comparison of the frames leads to a conclusion that in spite of the different focus, both frames ought to be considered and managed in a conjoined manner. Nevertheless, the distinction between the two frames enables an organization to identify ways to progressively generate, share and imbed new knowledge, for the benefit of both the projects and the permanent organization. The empirical case study research supporting this paper has been conducted in industrial organizations in both Australia and Sweden.

There's no 'I' in innovation! Fostering social engagement to accelerate learning organizations and regions

Samuel Garrett-Jones et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:48 PDT

Two crucial challenges face local governments: (1) the provision of quality community services, and (2) fostering sustainable regional socioeconomic development through innovation. One is an immediate tactical concern, the other a diffuse strategic issue. Both require harnessing social capital within and between organizations to create collaborative and productive 'learning organizations' (Senge, 2006), 'learning communities' (Benner, 2003; Courvisanos, 2003), local 'learning economies' (Lundvall, 1994) and ultimately 'learning regions' (Florida, 1995; Boekema, 2000; Morgan, 1997; Florida, 2000), conceptualised as 'externalised learning institutions' (Cooke, 1998. Wollongong, like many cities globally, brands itself as a 'city of innovation' and is actively attempting to 'construct advantage' (de La Mothe and Mallory, 2004) in the local region. Concurrently, the council must deliver optimal service performance which meets community expectations of efficiency, sustainability, participation and social equity, but with decreasing funds. These are two sides of the same coin: innovation in and by the city (Marceau, 2008). We review work in progress evaluating two novel approaches to accelerating the performance of a local council (Wollongong City Council) and associated regional development organization (Advantage Wollongong). The first examines situated learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991) in the immediate 'service chains' of council; the second extends the concept of 'service chains' as a means of mapping and leveraging the social networks that contribute to local advantage. The project tests whether similar theories of social capital development and learning apply to immediate and diffuse service chains. The findings will provide guidance and exemplars for local government and community organizations wishing to accelerate innovative local services and socioeconomic development.

Project learning relationships and situated learning: defensive deflection and protective veneers

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:47 PDT

This paper contributes to better understanding the dynamics of practically supporting the knowledge creation processes within a project management setting. Based on a longitudinal participative action research study of the dynamics of situated learning in a project case study involving organizational change, this paper describes and theorizes about how the ‘learning relationships’ between project team participants significantly impact situated learning activity within a project team setting. As observed in the case study and then argued in this paper, through project team participants systematically and publicly exploring and communally reflecting on this sociological element (amongst others identified in this study), they aid their situated learning processes and incidentally, help develop their competency in ‘learning how to learn’.

Learning to integrate: supply chains reconceptualised

Andrew J. Sense et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:46 PDT

This paper introduces and explains a conception of supply chains from a situated learning perspective. This non-conventional supply chain perspective invites the reader to consider supply chain scenarios as ‘situated learning opportunities involving multiple communities of practice’ interacting and participating together. It is argued that by embracing and appropriately engaging this humanistic, social and practical learning perspective, supply chain practitioners have opportunities to initiate a ‘community of practice’ condition across a supply chain setting. Therein, practitioners systematically and collaboratively focus on developing their learning skills, their knowledge and their relationships which stimulates and promotes inter-organizational integration and performance along a supply chain.

Facilitating conversational learning in a project team practice

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:45 PDT

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide an empirical insight into the facilitation dilemmas for conversational learning in a project team environment.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an outcome of a participative action research process into the dynamics of situated learning activity in a case study project team. As part of their organizational change project (which included an explicit project goal of developing their collective and individual learning competencies) the case study project team initiated and undertook a series of participative “learning-how-to-learn” workshops. These workshops were “learning spaces” that were centred on engaging “conversations” to both initiate and promote interpersonal understanding and critical reflective practice between the participants.

Findings – In evaluating the discontinuities experienced between the planned phases and activities in these “learning space” workshop processes, three key lessons that the participants learnt about facilitating conversational learning in this setting are identified and elaborated upon.

Research limitations/implications – This paper is based upon a case study of the learning activities of one project team. The opportunity exists to repeat the study in different projects and other group settings.

Practical implications – This paper offers practical guidance to learning professionals and learning practitioners in how to provide a receptive conversational context for learning between people.

Originality/value – This paper illustrates the power of conversational approaches to nurturing learning activity. Furthermore, the lessons identified constitute heuristics to pragmatically aid conversational learning amongst people in project team “learning spaces” and in other similar group settings, where conversations are considered core to the learning development process.

Cultivating Learning within Projects

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:44 PDT

The sociotechnical politics of focused factories: Establishing a cross functional project team

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:43 PDT

This extract of a larger case study is written to provide real and relevant information to stimulate discussion on the importance of deliberately and vigorously managing the politics associated with the various aspects of Sociotechnical projects. It offers a reflective insight into one company's change initiative with a particular focus on the political issues associated with establishing a cross functional management project team to manage the design and implementation of an Sociotechnical change program.

Knowledge Creation and Sharing in Project Contexts: the situated impact of our learning relationships

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:42 PDT

Ever consider a supply chain as a 'community of practice'? Embracing a learning perspective to build supply chain integration

Andrew J. Sense et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:40 PDT

Conventional views of supply chains depict a linear process involving discrete organizational entities which are linked by necessity from the source of supply to supply a final product or service to consumers or end users (Coyle et al., 2003). This view considers the key challenge or focus of supply chains is on maintaining the efficient flow of products. An efficient flow of products relies upon information flows along the chain not becoming distorted or inter-organizational links becoming disjointed. Such perturbations can result from firms failing to see or understand the relationships and issues further upstream or downstream from their relative position and this clearly impacts supply chain integration and performance – a situation one of the authors describes as ‘‘supply chain myopia’’.

Socially shaping supply chain integration through learning

Michael D.J. Clements et al. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:39 PDT

This conceptual paper is concerned with improving supply chain integration through social innovation. It specifically argues for a greater focus on, and more systematic attention towards social and situated learning as the critical means of achieving the integration of the social systems of supply chain participants. The key proposals in this paper diverge from and extend upon the current limited and quite general rhetoric offered about the need to better understand the social systems in supply chains. The conceptual arguments presented are yet to be tested in practice. However, the practical implications of adopting them likely revolve around: supply chain participants conceiving supply chain settings as significant situated learning opportunities; participants conceiving themselves as learners, and; participants reshaping their inter-organisational social networks. Thus, this paper makes a valuable contribution to scholarly and practitioner knowledge and debate about alternate and socially innovative ways to integrate supply chains.

Knowledge creation and sharing in project contexts: The situated impact of our learning relationships

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:38 PDT

This paper contributes to better understanding the dynamics of practically supporting the knowledge creation processes within a project management context. The case study findings presented in this paper describe and theorize about how the ‘learning relationships’ between project team participants present significant impacts on the immediate situated learning activity of a project team and ultimately also, for individual and team performance and development. As is argued in this paper, through project team participants publicly exploring and communally reflecting on this sociological element (amongst others), they aid their situated knowledge creation processes and help develop their skills in ‘learning how to learn’.

Learning within project practice: cognitive styles exposed

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:37 PDT

This paper contributes to understanding the dynamics of practically supporting situated learning within a project management practice. The case study findings presented and explored in this paper suggest that the ‘cognitive styles’ of project participants (amongst other sociological elements) significantly impact situated learning activity within a project team. As is argued in this paper, through undertaking a process of public exposition and communal reflection on participants’ ‘cognitive styles’, ‘cognitive styles’ become a socially oriented learning issue for project teams to better understand and manage. In doing so, project participants’ aid their situated learning processes and help develop their skills in ‘learning how to learn’.

Structuring the project environment for learning

Andrew J. Sense — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:52:36 PDT

This paper argues that project learning and the learning competency development of project practitioners are most appropriately pursued through the creation and maintenance of supportive situated learning environments within projects. Drawing on participative action research into learning practices within a case study project involving organizational change, this paper introduces a model of project situated learning behaviour and identifies and explains five sociological elements (barriers or enablers) that are primal in shaping the learning behaviours of project team participants. This framework facilitates practitioners’ systematic and communal reflection on their learning practices and helps develop their skills in ‘learning how to learn’.