My work is rooted in evidence-based traditions of systems thinking (Deming, Senge), human-centered design (Norman, Jarrett), and work-integrated learning (Lave, Klein). I design learning and development systems that strengthen role clarity, usability, and readiness, as performance improves when the conditions are architected to make good work possible.
Theories and Models that Underpin My Beliefs and Approach
1 | “Capability is built through systems, not slogans.”
Organizational Systems & Performance
- W. Edwards Deming — System of Profound Knowledge; 94/6 Rule
- Performance is attributable primarily to systems, not individuals; systems account for the majority of variance.
- Peter Senge — Learning Organization / Systems Thinking
- Organizational learning requires systems that reinforce feedback loops and interdependencies.
- Russell Ackoff — Idealized Design & Systems Thinking
- Organizations are systems of interdependent functions; redesigning the whole enables capability development.
- James Reason — Swiss Cheese Model of System Safety
- Errors arise from system-level conditions; capability is structurally influenced.
My alignment: capability as systemic, not a programmatic or motivational artifact.
2 | “Clarity is a design choice.”
Work Design, Expectations & Cognitive Load
- Donald Norman — Human-Centered Design
- Clarity emerges from design decisions that minimize friction and cognitive overload.
- Herbert Simon — Bounded Rationality & Design as Decision-Making
- People can only perform within the limits of clarity and available cues.
- Caroline Jarrett — Forms & Usability
- Usability failures are design failures; clarity is engineered.
- Richard Hackman — Work Design & Role Clarity
- Clear goals and structures are primary determinants of team effectiveness and performance.
My alignment: clarity is intentional, structural, and designed, not rhetorical.
3 | “Readiness is an outcome.”
Capability-Building, Transfer & Readiness Conditions
- David Kolb — Experiential Learning & Transfer
- Readiness is demonstrated in performance, not attained through content exposure.
- John Sweller — Cognitive Load Theory
- Readiness requires conditions that reduce extraneous load so capability can be applied.
- Robert Brinkerhoff — Success Case Method
- Focus on conditions that enable successful transfer, not the training event itself.
- Chris Argyris — Double-Loop Learning
- Readiness requires internalized mental models, not just compliance with surface behaviors.
My alignment: readiness is evidenced through performance and context-fit, not claimed.
4 | “Learning only matters when it supports the work.”
Work-Integrated Learning, Situated Performance & Practice
- Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger — Situated Learning / Communities of Practice
- Capability develops within practice, not outside of it.
- Hubert Dreyfus — Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition
- Competence develops through real contexts and progressively complex performance.
- Gary Klein — Naturalistic Decision-Making
- Expertise is cultivated through exposure to real-world complexity and decision patterns.
- Michael Eraut — Informal Learning in the Workplace
- Most capability emerges from work contexts, not formal programs.
My alignment: learning-as-practice, not learning-as-event.
5 | “Governance, not charisma, sustains capability.”
Structures, Decision Rights & Organizational Continuity
- Ronald Coase & Oliver Williamson — Transaction Cost Theory
- Governance structures reduce ambiguity and enable sustained coordination.
- Henry Mintzberg — Organizational Structuring
- Sustainable performance depends on aligned structures and decision rights.
- John Kotter — Leading Change
- Without structures and reinforcement loops, change decays into slogans.
My alignment: governance is a durability mechanism; programs are insufficient.
6 | “Systems, not programs, create conditions where people can thrive.”
Conditions, Culture & Enablement
- Edgar Schein — Organizational Culture as Underlying Conditions
- Conditions shape capability; culture is the pattern beneath structure.
- Amy Edmondson — Psychological Safety
- Performance emerges from conditions that enable learning and risk-taking.
- Karl Weick — Sensemaking
- Organizational clarity and meaning-making are conditions for performance under complexity.
My alignment: conditions are antecedents to capability and contribution.
Mapping My Work to Scholarship
| My Practice Principle | Supporting Thinkers | Key Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capability emerges from conditions | Deming, Senge, Reason, Hackman | Systems & conditions drive performance |
| Clarity is intentional & architectural | Norman, Simon, Jarrett | Design decisions determine usability |
| Readiness is demonstrated, not declared | Sweller, Kolb, Brinkerhoff | Transfer is outcome-based |
| Learning must be operationally grounded | Lave & Wenger, Klein, Eraut | Practice—not programs—build capability |
| Durability requires governance | Mintzberg, Coase, Kotter | Structures enable continuity |
| Usability enables capability | Norman, Jarrett, Simon | Reduce friction to increase capability & performance |
How This Frames My Public Voice
My stance is not “training-first.” It is design-first, system-first, conditions-first, in line with the deepest traditions of organizational learning, not the programmatic turn of L&D.
What I am doing is essentially:
Operationalizing Deming and Schein for regulated public human services
while grounding workforce learning in Lave, Klein, and Brinkerhoff.
Few practitioners bridge these domains; that is my differentiation.
Dr. Treca Bourne 