Deep Smarts
Book and article on "How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom"
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Deep SmartsBook and article on "How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom" |
Our business purpose is defined by the phrase from knowledge, through simulated experience to wisdom. Therefore I was excited by a recent article in the Harvard Business Review entitled Deep Smarts[1] and a forthcoming book Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom[2] written by Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap.
The information and table below are from the Harvard Business Review "OnPoint" version of the article Deep Smarts [1]. (To purchase enhanced edition of the article - http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/relay.jhtml?name=itemdetail&id=7731&referral=9655)
The Idea in Brief
"Deeply Smart people make intuitive decisions fast
and spot problems and possibilities others miss. Informed by
almost preternaturally sound judgement and a gut sense for
interrelationships, they see the big picture - rather than
getting bogged down in detail."
| The Deep Smart Idea in Practice - the Knowledge Coaching Techniques | |
Technique |
Approach |
Guided |
Novices practice skills under the watchful eye of knowledge coaches, who then provide feedback that allows them to refine their new capabilities |
Guided |
This technique takes two forms - shadowing and field trips. Through shadowing, novices absorb deep smarts by following experienced, skilled colleagues, and then discussing their observations with those colleagues. During field trips, novices breakout of rigid mental habits and expand their experience through novel ways of thinking and behaving. |
Guided |
Knowledge Coaches and protégés work on problems jointly, so protégés learn how to approach problems. |
Guided |
Knowledge Coaches help novices setup modest experiments that speed learning. |
Why am I excited by the
article and book?
Quite simply because the concepts
are supported so well by simulation. Below, I have attempted to
explain this by mapping the Knowledge Coaching
Techniques to learning thorough business simulation where the
participants work in small teams and where the learning process
is managed by the trainer. Of course, there are
differences. The Knowledge Coaching advocated by Leonard
and Swap is a one-on-one process using in-house
coaches. Whereas, use of simulations commonly involves outside tutors.
But typically, these are experts at managing learning and
so their extra skills will balance the extra group size. Further,
where the simulations are being run by in-house staff, these can
bring in-depth company knowledge to the party. Also,unlike the
real-world, computer simulations provide learning in a focused
and controlled environment.
Deep Smarts in the context of managerial learning using business simulations |
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Guided |
Implicit in the use of our computer simulations for management development or business training on courses is the way learning is guided (or managed) by an experienced trainer. Besides this, working in small diverse teams means that the learners can guide and learn from each other. |
Practice |
Typically, our simulations involve participant's running a business or part of a business for six to eight periods. And this forces them to practice and refine their managerial competencies. A process where feedback is provided by the trainer, the simulation and their fellow team members. |
| Observation | Where the teams contain a mix of
functional experience and knowledge, participants can
observe how their fellow team members handle problems.
So, for instance, a marketing manager can observe how a
financial manager develops financial strategy while the
financial manager can observe the marketing manager
develops marketing strategy. Where the simulation addresses industry issues (rather than attempt to replicate the company exactly) participants are forced to think outside the box and hence develop the skill to think through relevant problems. Further, at the end of the simulation where teams combine to discuss and review their performance, they can see, compare and critique a range of thinking and approaches. |
Problem_Solving |
Working in small groups towards a common goal, participants must solve a range of evolving problems. And, the impact of these solutions is immediately assessed by the simulation and their outcomes fed back to the participants. Thus providing in depth problem solving practice in a coached and controlled environment. |
Experimentation |
In the real world experimentation can only be modest even when guided by an expert as, otherwise the risk is too great. But, in the world of simulations, real operational and financial risk is eliminated and so experimentation can be major. This allows participants to learn from their mistakes - perhaps the most powerful and memorable way of learning. |
1. Leonard, Dorothy and Swap, Walter (2004) Deep
Smarts Wisdom Harvard Business Review September 2004
To purchase an enhanced copy of this article http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/relay.jhtml?name=itemdetail&id=7731&referral=9655
2. Leonard, Dorothy and Swap, Walter (2004) Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom HBS Press
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