Nonaka's SECI Process versus Peter Senge's Learning Organization

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Darron Passlow
Business Consultant, Australia

SECI is a Proven Process

Helen, thinking about your question, Senge's Learning Organization is a hypothetical approach that would never work (for most) as its first step requires "personal mastery" (oh yes!).
SECI is a proven approach for Knowledge Capture/Management and can be used by any organisation, with the right incentives - no personal mastery required. Regards.

Helen Coyne
Student (Other)

How Does the SECI Model Support a Learning Organization?

I am wondering is the SECI module actually used in the western business world? I know it's successfuly used in Japanese organizations.
But I have to discuss how the SECI process supports the Learning Organization (for my assignment). Are there any examples of this model being used in western business culture? In a nutshell my assignment question is: Discuss how the SECI process supports the learning organization? I'm struggling with this. Thanks.

Darron Passlow
Business Consultant, Australia

SECI Model in Western Organisations

Helen, I think you need to use your imagination here on how SECI applies. I asked the question (2 years ago) about who (outside Japan) was using it and virtually got 1 response from Israel, that said they planned to use it in the future. No further correspondence?
It is well used in Japan but I think it is not marketed outside Japan very well. I got to hear about it when my son was taught a course by Nonaka san in Japan (and discussed it). Most people (outside Japan) would not be this lucky.
It is a great technique and is very simple to apply and it is all about knowledge capture and knowledge management and consequently directly applies to the "Learning Organisation" (I hate this term as it is not the organisation but the people who learn).
Good luck, Darron.

Alkhaly Mohamed Tahey Conde
Lecturer, Guinea

What Model Will be Adopted, SECI or Senge?

The models SECI and Senge can be utilized in this order (SECI before Senge), by any complex organization, with some protocols and conditions preparations, in receptive and open groups.
In all cases, the leadership and management teams should to be replaced immediately by the council of stakeholders and the office of regulation, if they continue to stop the process of knowledge acquisition, sharing and development into the organization. They must be non-toxic, positive and favorable to the knowledge management dynamic, in order to stimulate the sustainable and inclusive development of the organization.

Norman Dragt
Netherlands

Use SECI and Senge and 4 Stages of Competence for Team Learning

SECI stands for Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization. These fall within the model of Peter Senge under the five elements: Personal Mastery, Shared Vision, Mental Models, Systems Thinking, Team Learning.
One could state that socialization is comparable to a shared vision, externalization is team learning, combination is systems thinking and internalization is a combination of personal mastery, shared vision and mental models.
One could also state that to be able to be a learning organization, the first thing that comes to mind is obviously to externalize knowledge, so people can learn from mental models of others and learn from their knowledge and become personal masters.
Combination is only possible when you apply systems thinking using a shared vision. Internalization will only happen when personal mastery is ones goal and one is willing to learn as a team.
However Nonaka was only trying to describe what happens when humans learn and how humans learn. It is more comparable to the Maslow's Skills Quadrant: unconscious versus conscious and incompetent versus competent. After we are socialized we are unconscious competent. Because if we combine what we see others do with what we think we are able to do, and see a clear discrepancy between the two levels of skills, we become conscious incompetent. As we start to learn new skills we often become conscious competent. This can often also take the form of externalizing our development of the skill when we talk more about our developing skill with others. As we become unconscious competent we have internalized the skill. This is often combined with some kind of socialization as we learn to use our new skill in specific situations that are socially acceptable.
So you could use Nonaka's SECI model to organize learning within a team and use Peter Senge's model of the five elements to set goals for team learning. Because team learning, personal mastery, shared vision, systems thinking and mental models all follow the SECI steps.