Embedding enhanced productivity through strengthening culture, which makes the most of what is known and can be done

Culture-focused

Our approach is to work with the client in a manner which strengthens an abiding culture in which learning outcomes within the organisation and/or community are valued and acted upon. In working toward this goal, the consultancy options range across a spectrum from researching needs and opportunities through strategic planning, to tactical action. In doing this - according to need and opportunity as prevail in the moment and with a view to the future – the focus is upon nurturing an environment in which people are making the most of what they know and can do.

The Enviro-sys approach is grounded by the LCM Achievement Model (Hughes 2007©) as illustrated in Figure 1.

LCM achievement model for the organizations

Knowledge, and capacity to act, is the outcome from learning and there are many learning pathways which may be formal, informal and sometimes incidental to other activity. There are a great many innovative possibilities to engage in new learning and to draw upon past learning. Accordingly, the Enviro-sys contribution to organisational, community and individual achievement is to support expanding and drawing upon the depth and breadth of knowledge, which adds to individual and organisational capability.

 The nature of the Enviro-sys role in supporting organisations, communities and individuals to sustainably make the most of what is known and can be done is shaped by the needs and opportunities which uniquely exist. However, the common core of this is to strengthen the valuing of knowledge and to support actions which lead to new knowledge and drawing upon both tacitly and explicitly held knowledge.

In these respects, both formal and informal leadership have high impact and shape the environment as being learning leaderful.   

As the purpose of engagement with the LCM Achievement Model is to generate action leading to enhanced productivity, in drawing from the model, a cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) approach is applied. With acknowledgement of the circa 1930 Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky and colleagues foundation origins and the contemporary enriching of activity theory and its application by Yrjo Engestrom and others, this is illustrated in Figure 2.

LCM Achievement model as an activity system tool

In essence, our work is to encourage and support conversation which informs and motivates action yielding enhanced productivity. With this as the goal, the typical process –

  • begins with having clarity regarding the objective of Figure 2 – ‘The Why’;
  • proceeds to identifying/agreeing the subjects (each with their interacting activity system) and common core object – ‘The What’ as the sweet spot;
  • involving stakeholders (as is appropriate) in reviewing rules, community, and division of labour in which ‘productivity’ is to be enhanced and sustainably sought – ‘The Environment’

The foregoing, informs application of the LCM Achievement Model (Hughes 2007 ©) in association with other appropriate tools/artifacts – ‘The How’.

Our contribution can range from facilitating review and planning meetings through presentation to larger audiences; researching of needs and opportunities; facilitating workshops leading to action; and and on to supporting action (e.g. coaching) and reviewing outcomes. Call us.

Read more about the development of the LCM Achievement Model (Hughes 2007 ©) -

The LCM Achievement Model (Hughes 2007 ©)

In pursuit of the core research question “What aids and what inhibits the outcomes from lifelong learning being applied to organisational achievement?”  the LCM Achievement Model (Hughes 2007) arose from ethnographic research undertaken by Lewis Hughes in the period April 2002 to July 2005. During this period the Country Fire Authority of Victoria (CFA) was the principal research environment and, in this instance, the focus was upon retaining volunteers as an organisational achievement goal.

The first phase of the study – April 2002 to June 2003 - was of a scoping nature and comprised a series of interviews, group meetings and action learning type explorations variously drawing upon water industry, contract cleaning and waste management industry, and Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) personnel as informants. Given the cultural historical nature of the insights, the data from this scoping study was viewed through the prism of cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) as is evolving through the interest of Yrjo Engestrom (refer Engestrom et al. (eds.) 1999) and others.

The outcome from the scoping study was an indicative model which was presented to the Emergency Management Australia Safer Sustainable Communities Conference 2003, Canberra. Feedback on the indicative model was positive and along the lines “It is common sense, but hasn’t been said” (generalised paraphrasing). The conference paper was subsequently published as ‘Volunteers as a learning bridgehead to the community’ in The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol. 18, No 4, November 2003. During the period July 2004 to February 2005, the research data and feedback from CFA personnel was drawn upon to write three CFA stories addressing welcoming volunteers, selling training, and brigade sustainability respectively. The writing of these stories was coupled with exploring wider efficacy of the model and strengthening the view that leadership – both formal and informal – is a key utility determinant and is the foundation upon which the valuing of learning and its outcomes leads to making the most of what people know and can do. Through a process of exploring efficacy prior to 2007, and continuing, the indicative model now has a confirmed status as illustrated in Figure 1.

Reference: Engestrom, Y., Miettinen, R. &Punamaki, R. (1999), Perspectives on Activity Theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.