7 6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 7 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 2 1 Organizational learning bases are systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, and team learning. That is knowledge, interaction, and a context are necessary to the unstoppable organizational learning (Senge 1990). It is further than merely the sum of individual learning. Members are organizational learning agents (Argyris and Schön 1978). Their experience and actions are essential for organizational learning to happen (Argyris and Schön 1978; Popper and Lipshitz 2004). Knowledge is processing and embodied by collective structures (Erden, von Krogh and Nonaka 2008; Senge 1990; Popper and Lipshitz 2004). Organizations’ vision and ideologies will guide organizational learning because it does not have cognitive systems (Popper and Lipshitz 2004). The outcome of organizational learning depends on the organizational culture, meaning the system of values and beliefs shared by members. Leaders have a crucial role in the commitment and support of organizational learning (Popper and Lipshitz 2004). Practical wisdom (phronesis) “is a formed faculty which apprehends truth by reasoning or calculation, and issues in action, in the field of human good” (Aristotle 1893, 136). It has three major parts, knowledge (about the world and technical knowledge), reasoning (after catching the essence of the situation, know how to ponder according to the possibilities), both acquired through experience, and action (use the best means and tools to achieve the common good) (Aristotle 1893; Aquinas 1485). Then, practical wisdom is embodied in action (Polanyi 1958; Rooney and McKenna 2007; Bierly, Kessler and Christensen 2000; Rowley and Gibbs 2008). Leaders must appeal to practical wisdom at all levels (Nonaka and Takeuchi 2011, 2019). The diffusion of individual practical wisdom to organizational practical wisdom depends on knowledge creation or sharing (Bierly, Kessler and Christensen 2000; Nonaka and Takeuchi 2019), learning and a shared context suitable (Nonaka and Takeuchi 2019). The leader is the main actor in the development and embodiment of practical wisdom in the organization because he is the example to be followed, he stipulates the mission and guidelines to be followed, he has the foresight beyond the obvious about the situation (Nonaka and Takeuchi 2011, 2019). While Nonaka and Takeuchi (2011, 2019) present characteristics of the practically wise leader who will develop wisdom in the workplace and organization, while McKenna and Rooney (2019) present a look more tied to the personality of the leader himself. According to Nonaka and Takeuchi (2011, 2019), practically wise leaders have the following qualities: i) Can judge goodness (inside and outside the company) and put it in action in given circumstances; ii) Can grasp the essence of phenomena and people quickly before deciding; iii) Create shared contexts (ba) among members (construct new meaning through human interactions); iv) Communicate the essence, they are able to be understood, as they are able to share their knowledge; v) Exercise political power, they are able to bring the knowledge and efforts to achieve the company goals; vi) Foster practical wisdom in all members through apprenticeship and mentoring. Mckenna and Rooney (2019) list other characteristics of wise leaders, namely: i) Virtue is the central stone; ii) Intellectual humility, to be less judgmental about people’s beliefs; iii) Ability to transcend, to look at the situation with less emotional involvement; iv) Personal growth, to learn from experiences throughout life, whether good or bad; v) Openness to experience and tolerance of ambiguities, recognize and generate personal and organizational uncertainties as well as consider and explore novelties; vi) The capacity to adapt to the environment and to change contexts based on reflective questions. Members of an organization form smaller groups, such as departments, informal groups, task forces, social networks groups, among others. These interactions between members occur in physical, virtual, mental, or combination, which are companies’ shared contexts (Nonaka and Konno 1998). These contexts can be conducive to knowledge creation and sharing, learning, development of practical wisdom (phronesis), and, accordingly, creating economic value and social good (Nonaka and Takeuchi 2011, 2019; Erden, von Krogh and Nonaka 2008). Senge’s (1990) five disciples of organizational learning (part 6.1) lead to the seven pillars of a practically wise organization, namely, “developing personal wisdom competency; understanding dynamic complexity; refreshing shared sustainable vision; deliberating towards ethical models; deliberated praxis; group wisdom dynamics; and embodied learning” (Rowley and Gibbs 2008, 367). Hence, a practically wise organization is a virtuous learning organization (Rowley and Gibbs 2008, 367). Nonaka and Takeuchi (2019, 246) present the characteristics of the practically wise company: i) Practically wise leaders at all levels that constantly create heirs; ii) All members are practically wise; iii) Use small teams to maintain dynamism and agility; iv) Practice middle-up-down management; v) Take an inside-out approach to strategy; vi) Hierarchy and networks work together; vii) Cultivate practical wisdom to achieve longevity and continuous innovation.
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