Introduction to learning at work

The principle of teams and workers becoming actively engaged in learning from their experience at work is one of the Core Features of AMBIT practice, and this is exemplified in the process of Manualization. Other commonly used and associated aspects of Learning at Work are presented as drop-down pick-lists here:

Manualization Team manualizing is analogous to team mentalizing	Developing learning organisations How do we create and sustain openness to learning?
Community of Practice Supporting and encouraging links between workers, teams and experts by experience	Mentalization Mentalizing has very strong links to Learning
AMBIT training The learning required to start & then sustain change & to build competencies across the team	Using the Manual A "syllabus" to help you get the best out of this manual

AMBIT and Learning

AMBIT itself aspires to be a learning and dynamic body of work, that learns Iteratively from multiple field deployments (see Weisz, Simpson-Gray (2008) Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents and the "Deployment focused" approach to treatment innovation and development) and is a constantly developing method of working (see Dynamic, adaptive Manualization).

Mentalization is closely associated with learning, and the development of new understandings. See The Inquisitive Stance, which emphasises not-knowing, and a consequent openness towards new learning, and material on Epistemic Trust which describes the role of mentalizing in the relational roots of knowledge about self and others.

AMBIT is strongly influenced by the work of Peter Senge, and his emphasis on the value of the Learning Organisation (Developing learning organisations). It is also influenced by Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave's work on Community of Practice.

A respectful balancing act

Learning at work requires a balancing between two elements of the AMBIT stance - Respect for EVIDENCE, and Respect for LOCAL PRACTICE & EXPERTISE:

	Respect for Evidence	Respect local practice and expertise
What is it?	Published trials or meta-analyses, local Outcomes measures and evaluations, service-user feedback and testimonies, etc	Respect for existing competencies & knowledge within team & across other agencies in the network that are attuned to local culture & service ecology
Risk of Overemphasis	Teams that practice "by numbers", rather than with attunement, limited adaptability to serve local culture and local service ecology	Team/worker that "makes it up as we go along", over-reliance on charisma, vulnerability to harmful practices

What is here?

1. On Manualization

Wiki-Manualization was originally the Core Feature that "stood for" Learning at work in its more general sense. Manualization is the specific approach to writing about what we are learning as a team, working in this setting, with these clients.

2. On Learning Organisations

See the material on Developing learning organisations

3. On AMBIT as a Community of Practice

See Community of Practice to understand how AMBIT promotes collaborative and collective learning between workers in many different settings.

4. On Mentalization and Learning

See Epistemic Trust and Mentalization to understand how AMBIT seeks to apply the most cutting edge understanding of how and why humans learn in day to day working practices.

5. On learning about this kind of Manual ("TiddlyManuals")

See Using the Manual and Understanding TiddlyManual format to learn about how to get the best out of this online format.