edited by Prem Kumar (National Community Leadership Institute, Singapore) & Phil Ramsey (Massey University, New Zealand)

Table of Contents (78k)
Foreword (48k)
Chapter 1: Learning and Performance: Rethinking the Dance (93k)

Learning and performing profoundly affect our results and actions. Yet getting the balance right is a challenge to individuals and organisations. While performing is about meeting the demands placed upon us, learning expands our capacity to meet future demands. Everyday successes and failures are shaped by the way we balance learning and performing. More than just actions, balance involves a set of values that are fundamental to the successful operation of organisations. These values are key dimensions around which organisational cultures form. Unfortunately, achieving balance is like a dance going wrong in organisations around the world: we have been following the same pattern for so long that we are now struggling to establish better ways of going about it.

This intriguing book is a collection of essays from leading consultants, practitioners and scholars offering practical approaches, fresh insights and strategies to proposed solutions for sustained organisational growth and competitive advantage. The book explains the nature of the learning and performance “dance” and its importance to organisations today, and is an indispensable resource for managing the dilemmas and tensions faced by individuals and organisations.

• Foreword (D Ulrich)
• Introduction:
  • Learning and Performance: Rethinking the Dance (P Ramsey)
• Learning's Place in Organisations:
  • A Short History of Learning (J S Brown & E S Gray)
  • When Learning and Performance are at Odds: Confronting the Tension (S J Singer & A C Edmondson)
  • The Work of Knowledge Management Made Real (M Wheatley & M Rogers)
• The Organisational Challenge:
  • What Can Leaders Do? (M J Darling & D C Flanigan)
  • Doggie Treats and the Core Group (A Kleiner)
  • Essence of Strategy: Controversial Choices (A Karnani)
• Applications:
  • Creating Consulting Partnerships that Foster a Depth of Learning (P Blyde)
  • Exploring Performance Versus Learning in Teams: A Situation Approach (D C Kayes)
  • Evaluation by Means (P Ramsey et al.)
  • Learning to Be an Expert: The Place of Vocational Education (P Jarvis)
• Performance — Learning Dysfunctions:
  • Workplace Bullying: Theft of the Capacity for Learning (A Needham)
  • Perfectionism and Learning (D Ramsey & P Ramsey)
• Looking to the Future:
  • Singapore: Moving Ahead of Change (P Kumar)