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Nothing could be more common in organizations than a vision that has overstayed its welcome. Every leader wants a vision that is enduring, so that once the organization is committed to it, all energies can be invested in its fulfillment. The vision may in fact have been the right one at the time it was formulated, but rarely is it right for all time. The world changes, and so must the vision.
Even great visionary leaders like Napoleon sometimes feel at the mercy of change. A more contemporary example of a visionary leader facing change is Edwin H. Land, who built the Polaroid Company on a successful vision of an instantly developing film. When he tried to extend the vision to Polavision, an instant movie system, the company lost more than $250 million: By then, video recorders had arrived, and the home movie market virtually disappeared.
Whole industries can be destroyed or completely reoriented by changes beyond their control. For example, environmental regulations virtually eliminated the asbestos industry. Medical research forced the cigarette companies to diversify. And international competition crowded U.S. television and steel manufacturers.
An important part of visionary leadership, therefore, is prudence: monitoring change, making the necessary mid-course corrections, and knowing when to initiate a new vision-forming process. Thus, far from being the last word, vision is part of a continuing process of orienting an organization to the emerging realities of the outside world. This can best be done by fostering organizational learning
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
Visionary organizations are capable of learning and adapting to change. Sony, for instance, is a learning organization. It learns from its highly regarded research staff, from its production workers, sales staff, engineers, and managers. It learns from people outside the corporation, too--from its customers and dealers, from its mar suppliers, from scientists at universities, securities analysts, industry publications, professional conferences, and trade fairs around the world. The learning takes place not just at the top, but at every level in the organization. Learning takes everybody's business, and the result is one of the most innovative and visionary companies in the world. We know that people learn, but how does an organization learn--and what role does vision play in it?
Organizational learning is facilitated when there is openness and...