Intense Learning Experience 
 

For those who subscribe to the limited view that the sole purpose 
of business is to generate profits, the concept of business as a process 
of learning would appear an alien one. That precisely was the theme of 
the five-day working conference organised by the Taj Continuing Education 
Programmes earlier this month. The setting - a palm-fringed beach resort 
in Goa -was perfect for exploring this seemingly abstract idea that has 
caught the attention of human resource development (HRD) managers and 
management consultants worldwide. 

 The idea of this conference germinated in November last year when V.S. 
Mahesh, vice-president (human resources), Taj group met American 
management guru Harrison Owen, at another conference in Mexico. "We 
discovered," explains Mahesh, "that of the marny concerns of a CEO, the 
prime one for the nineties is the problem of lifelong learning". 
Accordingly, the two got together and decided to have a working 
conference which would endeavor to deal with this idea. 

 Owen, an Episcopal priest by training, has been a consultant 
specialising in organisational transformation and development for the 
last 10 years. For him, the conference theme seemed a logical extension 
of a paper he had earlier written - 'The business of business is 
learning'. According to him, "the global forces of change make it an 
absolute demand that businesses should adopt a learning mode". 
 

 This means, in effect, that learning should become the core activity 
around which everything else within the Organisation revolves. While this 
may appear to be an esoteric exercise, it does hold the promise of 
concrete benefits: lower manpower turnover, high staff morale, a 
collaborative and healthy union-management equation and better 
productivity, profitability and growth. 

 The 30-odd participants were hand-picked - participation being by 
invitation only - and mainly from the personnel management field. 
Practising managers in Indian companies, teachers, consultants and 
management writers from both India and abroad, together formed a 
formidable bank of knowledge and experience. 

 Invitees arrived with varying levels of expectation. Rajesh Vidyasagar, 
general manager, personnel, VST Industries Itd, Hyderabad, came "to meet 
creative people from creative organisations and learn from them" The 
venerable Dr. K.S. Basu, founder-director of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute 
of Management Studies, Bombay, approached it with some degree of 
scepticism. Jagdish Parikh, managing director, Lee and Muirhead, being a 
businessman and the sole representative of the CEO community was curious 
to see how his views would coincide with those of the others. 
 

Multicultural Mix 

 Of the foreign visitors, Ronnie Lessem, author and management teacher at 
London's City University Business School, who was on his first visit to 
India, had a clear objective: to share western management perceptions and 
pick up eastern principles. For Anne Stadler, a TV producer with King TV 
in Seattle, who had made documentaries on India in the past, it was being 
back in familiar territory. The conference theme tied in with her 
interest in organizational transformation. This multicultural mix was to 
throw up an interesting crossflow of ideas emanating from totally 
different mind-sets and experiences. 

 Apart from its novel, forward looking theme, another unique facet ofthe 
conference was the technology employed. The facility of on-line 
networking by computer made the conference a truly electronic one. 
Developed by the Virginia based Meta System Design Inc, the Meta network 
enabled, in theory, each participant to log in and communicate via the 
host computer in Virginia with their American counterparts. Sadly though, 
the telephone lines in Goa refused to co-operate and the marvels of the 
technology at hand remained a mystery for most participants. 

 But by far, the most unique characteristic of the conference was the 
manner in which it was conducted. No advance agendas were set or keynote 
addresses prepared or papers expected to be presented. Owen, as chief 
orchestrator, opted for an approach which he calls "open space 
technology" which gives people the option of creating their own time and 
space. In most conferences, Owen explains, people say it is the coffee 
breaks that are the most enjoyable part. Therefore, he decided, creating 
an environment of coffee breaks would evoke more response and 
involvement. 

 How exactly does "open space" work? The circular seating arrangement, 
sans tables, provided a clue. After an initial round of introductions, 
Owen went on to explain that the agenda and structure would have to be 
created by the participants themselves, keeping in mind the four guiding 
principles: 

 Whoever comes is the right person. 

 Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. 

 Whenever It happens is the right time. 

 When its over, its over. 
 

 Accordingly, the agenda evolved on the basis of the simple and informal 
practices followed in the village market place and the scout camp. Any 
participant who cared to share or explore a particular idea or concept 
simply wrote it out in brief on a paper sheet which was tacked onto the 
wall. Those wishing to join a certain discussion group had only to sign 
up for it. The time and venue for the discussion were set by mutual 
convenience. People were free to join or break off from any group and set 
their own pace of participation. The only musts were two meetings at 9 am 
and 6.30 pm everyday to take stock of the day's proceedings. The summary 
of each group discussion had to be logged into the computers located in 
the common conference room. 

 There was minor pandemonium as the group splintered into four separate, 
sub-groups. The topics of discussion ranged from the metaphysical - 
"achieving self-actualisation through work" - to the practical - "how to 
renew an old and dying Organisation". A bold but none the less complex 
question, "What is learning?" formed a part of one set of deliberations. 
Another pertinent issue raised was that of "resolving the conflict 
between teamwork and interpersonal competition". These discussions took 
place over the next three days - the final day being devoted to the 
summary. 

 The deliberations of day one were confined to the conceptual. The 
intellectual process was put on display as participants presented a 
series of alternative models and flow charts. Debates were heated but 
there was a certain element missing. It soon became evident that merely 
cerebral thinking would not do. Prasad Kaipa, employed with Apple 
Computer Inc, admitted in dejected tones, "I don't feel I have learnt 
anything." This not only echoed the feelings of the group, but also 
precipitated a subtle transformation which took place in the discussions 
of the following day. 

 As Owen reports, "It seemed as if we had entered on a common journey in 
which our collective and individual consciousness was both the vehicle 
and the object of inquiry." Defences were totally let down and group 
members shared experiences freely and openly. This flow was kept up until 
the final day. And the richness of thought and ideas that were generated 
was evident from some of the findings. 
 

Vision statement 

 Out of one group emerged a vision statement for the organization of the 
nineties and the specific strategic actions that business leaders should 
take. The central feature of an evolved Organisation would be permitting 
ordinary people to actively participate in core activities. The business 
leader should, it was felt, play the role of an enabler and facilitator by 
providing a supportive environment, an atmosphere that is secure and 
friendly. 

 A set of nine action plans were chalked out to make business leaders 
learning community developers. An important plan that emerged was the 
need to develop global learning centres for transformational management. 
The human resource manager would, necessarily, have a key role to play in 
any learning system. Indeed the onus would be on him to make it happen. 

 The complex task of defining learning was taken up by another group. 
Here, a distinction was made between conceptual knowledge and that gained 
through experience. Quite often learning is associated with pain or even 
a sense of emptiness. Anxiety tends to create blocks to learning and 
recall. Different kinds of learning modes and styles were discussed as 
well as how they could be integrated into executive development 
programmes both in the US and India. 

 Intense debate was the hallmark of the group discussion on teamwork 
versus interpersonal competition. Do people in pursuit of individual 
recognition give their whole-hearted contribution to the team's goals? 
Both views, negative and Positive, ,were expressed. But significantly, 
the conclusion was that if people could be charged with a sense 
of purpose, then each team member would strive to excel, at the same time, 
contributing considerably to the team. 

 This conclusion was arrived at by drawing on the example of the 
conference itself. Though individuals were given open space, each one got 
deeply involved and gave his/her best. Therefore, much better results 
could be obtained by creating such spaces within organizations. The 
feasibility of the concept was argued, but the consensus was that by 
demonstration and example - even though it may be in the face of 
substantial opposition - an effort could be made. 
 

Flood of Ideas 

There was a veritable outpouring of ideas and the above represent just 
some of them. Owen terms this, "an explosion of the spirit". Lessem says 
he was struck by the variety and calibre of the thinking: 'There was a 
marvelous give and take." For Anil Sachdev, general manager personnel, 
Eicher Motor Itd, New Delhi, the conference broadened his global 
perspective of business. A deep sense of achievement, of having arrived 
at an important conclusion in their work lives, was felt by all. 

 The conference in Goa, termed the Fort Aguada Beach Resort, India 
Conference (FABRIC), will be followed by its counterpart a month later in 
the hills of West Virginia, USA. The output of both these conferences 
will eventually be compiled in the form of a book to be published in 
January next year. 

 As Owen sums up: "We started on a quest. And it turned out to be a 
remarkable journey into a collective consciousness." In that, the 
conference was a truly intense learning experience.