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A Primer on Organizational Culture
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Culture guides the way individuals and groups in an
organization interact with one another and with parties outside it. It is the premier competitive advantage of high-performance organizations. Sadly, for others, organizational culture is the most difficult attribute to change: it outlives founders, leaders, managers, products, services, and well-nigh the rest. It is best improved by organizational learning for change. (No. 68 | November 2009)
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Improving Sector and Thematic Reporting
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Communities of practice have become an accepted part
of organizational development. Learning organizations build
and leverage them with effect. To reach their potential, much as other bodies, they stand to gain from healthy reporting. Quality of information and its proper presentation enable
stakeholders to make sound and reasonable assessments of
performance, and take appropriate action. (No. 67 | November 2009)
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Understanding Complexity
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In development agencies, paradigms of linear causality
condition much thinking and practice. They encourage
command-and-control hierarchies, centralize decision making, and dampen creativity and innovation. Globalization
demands that organizations see our turbulent world as a
collection of evolving ecosystems. To survive and flourish
they must then be adaptable and fleet-footed. Notions of
complexity offer a wealth of insights and guidance to 21st
century organizations that strive to do so. (No. 66 | November 2009)
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Drawing Learning Charters
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Despite competing demands, modern organizations should not forget that learning is the best way to meet the challenges of the time. Learning charters demonstrate commitment: they are a touchstone against which provision and practice can be tested and a waymark with which to guide, monitor, and evaluate progress. It is difficult to argue that what learning charters advocate is not worth striving for. (No. 65 | October 2009)
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Distributing Leadership
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The prevailing view of leadership is that it is concentrated or focused. In organizations, this
makes it an input to business processes and performance--dependent on the attributes, behaviors, experience,
knowledge, skills, and potential of the individuals chosen
to impact these. The theory of distributed leadership thinks it best considered as an outcome. Leadership
is defined by what one does, not who one is. Leadership
at all levels matters and must be drawn from, not just be
added to, individuals and groups in organizations. (No. 64 | October 2009)
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