In the previous blog we discussed the maturity of companies from perspective of education on level 3 and 4. Today we focus on the final two levels.

Level 5: Transition phase

The training specialists are aware of individual departments’ operation and their roles. Thanks to their ability to analyze organizational processes they can specify the root cause of problems and the responsible person supporting the solution process. These specialists operate on a higher management level with partners having the decision making authority. The solution of basic issues is fundamental and provides information for strategic thinking about future development of the organization. Of course, this level can be achieved more easily in smaller enterprises where communication links are more frequent and tighter. On the other hand the problem of small companies is that many people have to perform many different tasks and sometimes they stand in for the management and therefore have no capacity left to internally tune into this level. With big sized companies the problem is posed by low clarity as to who, when and for what is responsible, hence many tasks in such dynamically changing environment have no owner.

Level 6: Organizational Learning

Learning on this level always presents an added value and runs continuously, naturally and almost subconsciously. Instead of blaming culture the environment of shared knowledge takes over. Employees are truly perceived as intellectual capital; their innovative ideas are welcome and deemed a space to utilize employee full potential. The training specialists maintain a strategic position and actively participate at designing the organization itself.

If we implemented the Kirkpatrick business partnership model successfully it would always been a company on level 4 and higher. Had we cooperated with a company on level 3 and lower, we would have to give up on complexity and accept that the amount of invested energy will not meet with immediate positive response. After several years we can state that this approach leaves its footprint even in the later companies and as they move forward and optimize their internal processes, they contact us again and request these complex projects connected with measurement.

Source: Inspired by Institute of Maturity and Paul Kearns.