Enhancing Next-Generation Diplomacy Through Best Practices in Lessons Learned

"Reflective and adaptive organizations are effective ones, and these characteristics are particularly important in today's complex world. The 2015 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review emphasized the importance of creative problem-solving and fostering innovation while managing complex risks. The review anchored these principles to the capture and communication of lessons learned, a multidisciplinary concept for organizational growth fueled by reflection on past actions or events that guide a subsequent improvement in organizational procedures or practices. An effective lessons-learned program requires an organizational infrastructure that promotes a culture of learning. The Department of State has already developed several organizational elements and cultural attributes related to lessons learned, and these provide a starting point from which the department can mature its enterprisewide capabilities. To that end, this report explores best practices across fields of organizational theory and within both public and private organizations. The authors reviewed relevant literature, collected information from public and private organizations, and conducted roundtables to create a list of thematic best practices intended to guide the Department of State as it continues to develop a culture of learning and an enhanced lessons-learned capability"--Publisher's web site.