Invest in Learning

RE: The Learning Curve

I agree that lessons learned are a great idea, but I did not find an organic approach mentioned in ["The Learning Curve," May/June 2003]. Sharing best practices and lessons learned needs to be a people-interaction thing, not just a database somewhere on the server. Chaos theory offers us understanding about small initial conditions causing huge but unpredictable effects. The "secret" to taming chaos (and sharing lessons learned) is in patterns, purpose and interaction. Patterns are found in how people respond to information and sharing. Purpose is the commitment each member of the organization makes to its success. Interactions provide the exposure to practices (established, newly discovered or invented) that can be applied to other projects. The organic sharing of free-flowing, unstructured information has its own organizing force. The learning curve is accelerated when an organization develops a clear, convincing and compelling purpose, and finds ways for people to share what they have done or are doing. You cannot predict when a spark will be ignited, but it will.