Discuss the four enemies of a defined learning culture presented in Leading a Learning
Organization. As an administrator, are you in control of all of these enemies? How will
you avoid them?
The enemies of a defined learning culture are identified by Reason as deadlines, disorganization,
illogical expectations, exhaustion, and lethargy. These factors can pull our attention away from
defined learning. To establish a defined learning culture these factors must be removed or kept at
minimum levels. Deadlines that are of too short durations prevent optimum exploration for
solutions. This would essentially prevent the most creative solutions from being accessed. An
environment that is in perpetual disarray slows down progress. Too much time is lost trying to
find misplaced items. Organizations should not acquiesce to every change initiative. Time may
be wasted since some of these initiatives may be contradictory to others and may not be in tandem
with the school’s mission and objectives. There would be no logical outcomes if this were the
case.
Exhaustion may be the result of exposure to perennially “incomplete and disconnected
initiatives.” The perception that there is no way to complete the tasks may “leave staffs feeling
overwhelmed and exhausted.” Relaxed alertness “is the most preferred emotional state for deep
learning.” Absence of this alertness may result in staff members becoming lethargic. They will
be unable to get to the next levels of “learning, growth, and change.” Each of these enemies
diminishes the learning environment. Collectively, the learning environment could be reduced to
