Systems that Learn

Systems that Learn is a module (English download pdf 4.0 MB; French download; Spanish download) about the full research tapestry, not the threads. The focus is on developing skills to select, mix, balance and integrate tools, dialogue and careful reasoning, with a view to creating an action learning system. 

Creating an action-learning system  

Planning, Inquiry, Evaluation (P.I.E.) helps you reflect on and create a learning system that balances and integrates the three components: planning, inquiry and evaluation.

Action, Research, Training (A.R.T.) helps you assess the current and ideal balance and integration of three components: 1) actions designed to apply learning and achieve goals; 2) research consisting of data collection and analysis and; 3) training involving capacity building events and strategies.

Order and Chaos is a tool informed by chaos and complexity theory. It helps you craft the planning process needed in a project or program by answering two questions: what are the chances of achieving the goals, and how certain or confident are people that the information and knowledge they have (about the conditions or factors affecting the project or program) is complete and reliable? When key factors are easy to predict the appropriate planning process may be orderly, such as in a blueprint. In more complex and unpredictable settings plans may need to function as working hypotheses, to be tested in an ongoing way against experience and changing circumstances and needs.

Process Manager is a visual planning tool that helps you ground inquiry, evaluation and training in prior and ongoing activities and broader plans. Gaps and flexibility built into plans using Process Manager ensure that inquiry and action evolve over time and adjust to unforeseen events and new information.

Putting it all together 

Process Design takes a flexible systems approach to planning and managing an action-learning system. It helps you select and adapt tools for real settings and guides you through a design process that shuttles back and forth between tools and context to arrive at the right combination, with the right people at the right time.

Skillful Means divides the design process into five skills that are fundamental to the art of collaborative inquiry: mediating people and knowledge; grounding in action; navigating among alternative methods; scaling tools to the right level of detail; and making sense and meaning from complexity.

Combos provides you with examples of a simple set or sequence of tools for common tasks that can be completed in a day or in several short meetings: defining project goals, developing a proposal, setting priorities, etc.