Lab Learning: Day 10

Today marks day 10 of our Lab. I learnt that the profiling we did is quite accurate. The discourse and exchanges were quite as the profiles suggested. Its heartening to See barriers coming down and the team starting to gel. Having the profiles done is a real big help. I understand now the approach used by our lead facilitator: experience, reflect, learn, apply. Ive learnt this as a theory and used parts of this experiential learning model, but alaways I've been too quick ro jump in and help them. Here, very clearly, he's led us to experience the discomfort, and, little by little, as we can't take it anymore, he'll throw in the lessons. Even then, some get it, some don't. As all great teachers do, he patiently guides us until we really can't figure it out, then he rolls up his trousers and jump right in with us. He's done that with our model building, and he's done that with my inability to play my role properly. Today he's pulled me aside and told me where I need to play my role. He's hinted at it before, but since I haven't picked it up, the recourse is to grab me by my collar and tell me spot on. Ive looked at our story wall again and now realize my storylining skills are really needed here. If we can put our thoughts in a story line, then people can see where our lab is headed and wont need us to be there explaining stuff. As we build our basis, we can just update the storyline. I learnt also today that we're not really clear what we mean when we say "model". A model needs to be a representation of a working set of systems. Thus if we can identify what systems (management systems, not IT) thus we can test the components needed to make it work. And to determine the systems, we need to come back to basics: purpose, picture and profit. We list out descriptors for the purpose that we want, and then brainstorm systems to deliver it. Using an interelation matrix we can then map out how the system will influence the purpose. Then we test the model against what is existing, and test with syndicates to ensure it works. Of course we will need a strategy, its important that we plan the syndication from here onwards so we can efficiently test our models. Come day 11, things are going to be really interesting.