Leading Continuous Change

6 Discerning: Think Smarter

THE OBJECTIVE of Discerning is to learn from experience to improve the organization’s capacity to change over time. Learning may not be as important in onetime change efforts, but it is crucial in continuous change. Without learning, costly mistakes are repeated, confusion persists, and motivation takes a nosedive. With learning, confidence grows—assurance that important changes can be handled simultaneously without overloading the system or taking an unnecessary toll on those involved.

The US Army is well known for undertaking after-action reviews in which those engaged in carrying out a mission pause afterward to understand what went well and what didn’t and why.¹ During these reviews, efforts are made to eliminate ...