No Theory. . .No Learning
A Requisite for Real Change!

by Rick Tate

To quote an unheralded Deming phrase... "No Theory, No Learning." Explained, it warns us that unless we fully understand the theory, set of assumptions or thinking that we held true when we created practices and procedures that we use presently, we will be forever condemned to create different versions of what we have always done in the future. The result... no real change, just different manifestations of what we always used to do.

Unless our beliefs, theories, assumptions and thinking is critiqued and challenged for validity, what we build in the future will rest on a foundation that is the same as it always was!

Consider the following:

"How we believe, so shall we act." (from Proverbs)

"How we think determines what we measure." (Einstein)

We have understood for years that the gateway to change is through our belief system and accepted theories. Yet, in many instances we have conditioned ourselves not to learn as in our quest for quick fix answers we short-circuit the very element that is critical to effective problem solving and effective change... the examination of the thinking and beliefs that we built today’s practices on. 

As Thomas Paine so aptly stated ... "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right."

If we hold true the theory that the earth is flat then we make decisions and create practices within that framework of thinking and are blinded to the possibilities that are present under a different theory. Worse, all improvements to those practices will be nothing more than upgraded versions of what always was and not breakthroughs.

Almost every significant breakthrough is the result of a courageous break with traditional ways of thinking (a change of theory!). If managers "believe" their views are facts rather than a set of assumptions (or personal theories) that they have accepted as truth, they will not be open to challenging those views and will never create the type of change that will dramatically effect the business. Any future practices or procedures that are altered without a change in thinking or theory will be disguised versions of those same practices or procedures. Is it any wonder that we keep re-creating the wheel?

We are conditioned to steer away from this type of change and become more "action" oriented or pragmatic in our approach. However, this allure to action short circuits the learning process and inhibits effective change in business. We’ve all heard over and over again... "I don’t have time for theory, I need practical application and action." Perhaps we have created the very approach that is our biggest obstacle to effective problem solving and change in business.

No Theory, No Learning? A message that will serve us well and a discipline that will bring about lasting results.

Excerpt from the book Leadership and the Customer Revolution, by Gary Heil, Rick Tate & Tom Parker

C H A L L E N G E 3

Rethinking our Thinking: Building a Foundation for Systematic Improvement
 

Albert Einstein tells us, "How we think determines what we measure." It also determines how we organize and how we do business. Our thinking, our belief system, our mindset determines our priorities, our procedures, our processes, what we expect from people, and the way we deal with them. A distillation of our past thoughts, observations, and experience, our mindset serves as the foundation for the systems we build and perpetuate.

This may sound somewhat theoretical, but it's theory that works. If you hope to sustain your success in the future or change your current practices, you must examine the thinking that underlies what you do and how your organization behaves. Before we can create the type of company we desire-the fast, flexible one populated by loyal employees and driven by loyal customers-we must ensure that our mindset will support it. We simply can't, in any event, think one thing and do another, and expect to do either very well.

Our mindset is enormously valuable. It enables us to act. Without it we would have no way to relate yesterday's events and problems to today's, no basis for our predictions, no framework for organizing information, and little confidence in our actions. Without a set of assumptions to guide our actions, every management decision we make, no matter how slight, would take forever. We would have to weigh every variable and ponder every possible outcome. Without a basic set of beliefs to guide us, every decision would be our first.

On the other hand, with a belief system we trust, we can make assumptions about cause and effect, build models to describe how the world works, be confident in our solutions, and generally bring order to the complexities inherent in managing an organization.

The biggest problem with a mindset is that once we have developed one, we tend not to challenge it, particularly when it seems effective. Why should we? If it worked yesterday and works today, it should work tomorrow, right? Not necessarily. Not even probably. In fact, in a rapidly changing environment such as the one we compete in today, leaping to this conclusion is dangerous business. Instead, to ensure that our thinking does not become outdated, we must continuously put our old ideas to the test, to question the efficacy of yesterday's truths-and to do so before they fail.

Having a certain mindset can also be problematic for the leader if, when setting new organizational goals and developing new tactics, he or she doesn't go back to question whether the assumptions underlying that mindset are consistent with the company's new direction. If our beliefs are consonant with our new aspirations, chances are that, as we try to change the organization, we'll create structures that will, largely, prompt the desired performance. 

If, however, our beliefs are not aligned with what we're trying to accomplish, our mindset will become an invisible barrier to improvement. All of us must continually re-examine the way we think.

However, subjecting our mindset to a rigorous re-examination is often easier said than done. Our beliefs are abstractions, hard to pin down and articulate. More than likely, we never committed them to paper, we're rarely in a situation in which we have to defend them, and we seldom have the inclination to question them. In many cases, we don't even know where our beliefs came from or how they originated-they are just an amalgam of our experience over time. Still, they come into play every day, with every decision we make-which, in turn, continues to influence the way people in the organization behave.

In the Name of Involvement

Few leaders need to be convinced that employee involvement is a meaningful goal. Everyone seems to be for it-and why not? We can't imagine anyone arguing that we should treat people like parts of machines or that they should park their brains at the door when they come to work. However, if we learn from experience that it can be risky to trust certain groups, or if we believe that most employees at "that level" are not intelligent and don't make good decisions, it is unlikely that we will act in ways that engender meaningful involvement. If these are our beliefs, we may tend to narrowly define "involvement" and attempt to incrementally alter roles to give the illusion of change. In the name of involvement, we may delegate the ability to make decisions about things that don't really matter or we may design a process to give people the feeling that they are involved, even though we know, and they know, they're not. In most cases, we'd have been better off not trying to pull off this type of charade.