Lessons Learned
vs. Knowledge Management
Today, many prison management principles are based on
“lessons learned” concepts that seem to be relied on too much on experiences of
failures or successes from the past inside Arizona prisons. Rather than seeking
a balance and engage in the reverse method of active recruitment of
knowledgeable and educated individuals, who studied the criminal justice system,
the current prison administration has adopted a policy of re-hiring old cronies
that lack the skills and demeanor to run prisons effectively.
Some of these personally recruited and selected individuals
have no formal education or training in the knowledge, skills and abilities of
operating prisons effectively but are politically and socially acceptable to be
considered with approval by the current executive managers in charge.
These individuals are also known to rely mainly on exploring
their knowledge of incidents of the past and how they were handled as part of
the after-action plan that contained many flaws and incomplete information. Hence,
there is no pro-active attitude or attempt to interdict and prevent a crisis
but rather just to deal with it when it arrives. Thus there is no visionary or
creativity involved in their thought patterns and refers back to historical
data to make decisions.
First of all, let us define Lessons Learned – knowledge
gained through experience, which if shared could benefit the work of others. This
concept sounds or appears to be effective but lacks the most important
ingredient of problem solving management. It lacks the “why” in the equation
for resolution. Realistically this is not the best approach to make when
encountered with challenges and operational decision making in such a volatile
environment such as correctional facilities.
Lessons learned is not a strategic approach and is not
appropriate to seek for the “big picture” thus giving the organization a short
term solution but inappropriate for any long term planning. Knowing that prisons are expensive to
operate, this seems to be a waste of money as those in charge are not
foreseeing the future needs of the agency and spinning their wheels on handling
current problems.
Therefore, the biggest difference between knowledge
management and lessons learned techniques it the inherent factor that the
future is not focused into the solution and falls short for the organization’s
goals as planned by mission statements and strategic plans. Lessons learned
does not fill the operational gaps that are often present in these challenges.
In order to be effective, there must be the skill of recognizing these gaps in
order to effectively resolve the matter both short term and long term. This
appears to be the biggest controversy in these two methods of management.
Making accurate reflections of lessons learned you will find
a repeated mistake that entails perhaps different factors but the same outcome.
This is where closing the gaps become critical with knowledge of the “why” and
other ingredients or factors in order to stabilize, resolve and support the theme
or challenge with some kind of closure or success.
One must admit that strategic thinking is needed to exploit
or explore the many challenges inside prison. These problems may not always be
predictable but with using insight- foresight in the equation, chances are the
preparation to plan is more thorough than relying on a single dimension of the
lessons learned concept. Therefore, the organization may have to pay employees
more than once to solve the same problems over and over until they change their
strategy and look at the necessary steps to take that is an element of
strategic thinking and knowledge management tools. Making the same mistakes is
unacceptable management and can result in disasters or worse, death inside a
prison setting.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/kodiakbears
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/kodiakbears
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