What is Execution as Learning?

The execution as learning model, proposed by Amy C. Edmondson, argues today’s central managerial challenge is to "Inspire and enable knowledge workers to solve, day in and day out, problems that cannot be anticipated".

How is the Execution as Learning Model Used?

The Execution as Learning approach aims to radically change the traditional vision of Execution as Efficiency. Execution as Learning shows a totally different organizational mind-set, focused not so much on making sure a work process is carried out, but on helping it evolve into day-to-day work in 4 phases:

1. Prepare the guidelines for processes and procedures. First of all, you need to find the best practice, consulting books, experts, and even competitors. Everything begins from the definition of standard processes. The aim is not to produce efficiency, but aid the development of learning.
2. Give the workers the chance to collaborate in real time. As far as accurate the planning phase can be, the cognitive work requires to take collective decisions for complex and unexpected problems. Therefore, in the knowledge economy, it’s fundamental to help the direct collaboration. This can be achieved through the institution of a forum for the creation of personal network and opportunities of formation to enhance the skills in the team work.
3. Gather data on processes. The Execution as Efficiency focuses only on data about the performance , while the Execution as Learning pays the same attention to the data about processes that describe how the work is carried out. As a result, there is a precious feedback for the manager who can establish the way to improve the processes and consequently improve the performance of these.
4. Understand what works and what doesn’t work. To achieve this goal, there must be a disciplined reflection, using the resources which are temporarily deducted from the production processes; according to the traditional managerial approach, this decision might be seen as a loss of productivity.