Learning Labs

A Learning Lab is a group of people who use learning tools to diagnose a problem or opportunity together, and then collaborate to find new ways of working.

In this section you will find answers to the following questions.

What is a Learning Lab ?
Why use a Learning Lab ?
Where did the Learning Lab idea come from ?
What types of Learning Lab can you have ?
What sort of issues do Learning Labs tackle ?
How easy are Learning Labs to set up ?
What barriers to change do Learning Labs help to overcome?
What tools do Learning Labs use ?
How do you lead a Learning Lab ?

THE HISTORY OF LABSxx

What is a Learning Lab ?

A Lab is a group of people who come together to learn together how they can combine their knowledge, skills and resources more effectively. It brings a microcosm of the whole service into the room to find solutions that deliver measurable improvements in service for customers.

At the core of the approach is a different way of communicating, as the group learns and practices new skills to overcome barriers to change. Their conversations and activities are facilitated as required to enable them to create a shared vision, deal with new information in real time, challenge their assumptions, learn from their service users, listen and question more effectively and create a shared action plan that delivers mutual benefits. This benefit could be reduced costs, increased commitment to change, improvements in customer service, more efficient working arrangements, etc.

"Mandating change is a common occurrence in organisations, but it is often only a quick fix, with negative unintended consequences. It's better to engage staff in ways that help them value self-development as a route to improved performance."
Peter Senge

Why use a Learning Lab ?

There is a growing recognition that people work better when they are not micro-managed, but allowed space to think creatively and act authentically. People are then able to share their ideas for solving what they see as their problems.

Labs give managers and staff an opportunity to step back and begin to work more collaboratively to improve their service - sharing and applying their knowledge, experience and expertise to solve a problem that matters to them. Labs are therefore useful organisation development tools because they stimulate creative thinking, innovation and learning Without learning there will be no sustainable change in behaviour. .

Labs actively encourage the application of learning tools and techniques to foster and support experimentation and reflection. Their participants are usually front-line staff and their supervisors/managers, but Labs have also helped senior management teams and strategic partnerships.

Labs can also focus on strategic change. Indeed, examples can be drawn from all levels. Some Labs may last just 3 to 6 meetings whilst others go on for six months or more with staff devoting as much as 50% of their time to them. As a result, Labs can be used to help deliver a wide range of organisational and people development objectives and cultural change benefits that go way beyond the limited impact of its direct activities and results.

Try our Team Learning Quiz with your own team and discuss the results.

Where did Learning Labs come from ?

The thinking was was developed by the Learning Organisation guru Peter Senge and was used with great effect at Ford in America during the 1980's by Nick Zeniuk. President Clinton used them to modernise local government in the States where they were called Reinvention Labs. They were subsequently promoted by the Local Government Management Board (now the IDeA) in the 1990's and were adopted by the Cabinet Office in 2000 as a tool for modernising government.

"Labs explore new ways of working that can remove red-tape,
unnecessary bureaucracy and encourage risk-taking"
Dr Mo Mowlam MP Cabinet Office Minister 2000

Cabinet Office perspectives on Learning Labs

What types of Learning Lab can you have?
Labs can take many forms. What gives them their unique identity is the way they use learning tools to mediate and focus people's conversations on finding solutions and not getting bogged down in analysing the problem and drawing up detailed plans. They are designed to be "bureaucracy busters". They can be used in a wide range of situations where the objective is transformational change. They are used by central and local government agencies to encourage innovation.

Setting up manager led Learning Labs

Setting up staff led Learning Labs

How easy are Labs to set up ?

Any group can turn itself into a Learning Lab. The quickest and most effective way is to hire a Change Coach to help you set up the Lab and get it going. A Lab looks to achieve transformational change by getting agreement from all stakeholders to its purpose, hence the need for a Learning Lab Brief. It sets out the ....

TARGET - the problem, issue or opportunity the Lab will tackle
TERRITORY - the context and what's outside the Lab remit
TEAM - the people who will participate in Lab meetings
TIMESCALES - the deadline and key milestones the Lab must meet
TASKS - the list of activities to be done by whom and by when
TESTS - the criteria by which the success of the Lab will be judged

Format for a Learning Lab Brief

The starting point for a Lab is to understanding what it is that the customers/clients really want. This helps the Lab to clarify the points of transaction that that the solution need to address. Sometimes its helpful if the facilitator does warm up exercises to explain the key themes and approaches of a Learning Lab. See a Learning Lab Introduction Session

The resulting changes may be small improvements or radical adjustments. Labs look for solutions that connect up sub-processes in new ways to improve the capability of a service to meet customer requirements or needs. Labs take action on the 'whole system in focus' to enable each service provider to integrate their contributions to do a better job for their shard customer or community.

What barriers need to be overcome ?

Not enough time?
Getting the right people in the right place focusing on finding the right solution saves considerable amounts of wasted time - now and in the future.

Learning Lab Case Study

No help available?
The challenge is to increase capacity for change by learning from doing. Labs introduce participants to learning tools and coaching support when needed. This is available to Lab Leaders via a self-help handbook or under the guidance of a competent facilitator.

The Learning Labs Handbook

Not relevant?
So, how do you get the commitment and enthusiasm you need to challenge your assumptions and change the way things get done ? Learning Labs help participants see what is in their mutual interest, how to understand and appreciate other people's contributions, build consensus around a shared vision, agree priorities and get organised to deliver results.

Leading your own Learning Lab - Notes
Leading your own Learning Lab - Leaflet

Not enough action?
Yes, Labs do focus on achieving quality conversations, but it is vital that people learn to understand what others are saying before offering their own perspectives and ideas. This can save many wasted hours later through misunderstandings and poorly aligned values and actions.

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