Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Project Study # 22
Develop Organizational Learning System
Project Description: Developing an organizational learning system, that enables information to
be disseminated throughout the organization. This approach provides more focus on interactive
topic areas such as: asset management; safety and emergency preparedness; race and social
justice. There are nine principles used to help guide the organizational learning system: (1)
design and deliver the training in a way that the learning is accessible for all audiences; (2) all
employees receive a consistent high level overview; (3) the training/communications should
have a common look and feel; (4) SPU values will be clearly integrated into the learning system
program; (5) the leadership team is a partner in communicating the key messages and learning
objectives; (6) the learning outcomes should be integrated into and reinforced throughout the
organization; (7) learning system programs will be interactive, two way learning opportunities;
(8) draw out natural leaders, early adopters, and enthusiastic learners, and place them in a
central role in the learning system; (9) learning system programs will measure their
effectiveness in meeting learning objectives.
Size of Utility: 1,300 employees
Critical Success factors: The willingness of the people in the organization to learn, and
leadership teams commitment and communication of the learning objectives.
Cost: Minimal costs—executive level leaders focusing time and energy around system. There
are teams for each category, and all work is done internally.
Alignment: This initiative is aligned with strategic business planning by helping to reach the
goals of the organization through learning.
Benefits: An approach to decision making that involves data-driven decisions, established
customer service levels, full life cycle costs that are increasingly being adopted in the utility
sector. This initiative draws out natural leaders, early adopters, and enthusiastic learners. It
fosters and supports more learning in the department, providing the opportunity for developing
back-up expertise across functional areas.
Compiled April 2008
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POC:
Nancy Ahern
Seattle Public Utilities
©2011 Water Research Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.