EDUCATION FOR LEADING-LEARNING

The line managers had given the chief information officer and his staff a ''read our lips'' directive: Either shape up-become responsive to our needs-or prepare for the worst. The information professionals, in turn, accused the line managers of making unreasonable demands and ''not knowing what they wanted.'' Using this case study as typical of line-staff conflicts, Chris Argyris outlines how the principles of ''leading-learning'' can help both camps crack defensive routines and thus open windows into the master programs (theories-in-use) that inhibit innovative solutions. ''Leading-lean-ting'' occurs when a leader models double-loop learning in the face of a potentially embarrassing and threatening situation. More importantly, this kind of behavior can be taught. To do so demands a carefully designed learning situation in which participants collect and analyze actual data (real or projected conversations) as well as ''internal monologues'' to discover defensive reasoning routines. Ultimately, the learner practices a new kind of dialogue, one that presses for verifiable facts rather than subjective interpretations and accusations. This kind of learning, the author argues, changes the way the' participant approaches all potentially embarrassing situations. Moreover, it is far more effective than an ''insight-catharsis approach.'' Although insights and catharsis may help everyone vent their anger and thus feel better, this method bypasses the deeper ''designs'' that influence defensive routines.