“An organizations ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly
is the ultimate Competitive Advantage” - Jack Welch..
The learning organization is an entity which provisioned for the
frequent and continuous learning of its stakeholders; and expands their
capacity to generate results that they truly desire; while nurturing their
thinking pattern, aspiration in a broader and creative manner (Senge 1990). It
is imperative to note that the Learning organization is a place where people
are encouraged to learn and how to learn together and given the freedom of
aspiration throughout the process. Pedler et al (1991) explains that a learning
organization is one 'which facilitates the learning of all its members and
continually transforms itself’. According to Wick and Leon (1995) a learning
organization, shows rapid improvements while fine-tuning the skills and
capabilities required for the future success, under continuous basis.
Concept of Learning Organization
The theory of Organizational learning is recommended and more
relevant and It describes the procedure of how the learning taken place in
organizations. It concentrates on collective learning, as described by Argyris
(1992) the organizations do not necessarily conduct activities to produce
learning; yet each member act individual their integral part in the learning
process of the organization that produce the learning. Furthermore,
organizations are able to create the environment that facilitates such learning
culture. Under the organizations learning concept it’s important to recognize, that
it’s the way the learning takes place affects the organization in it’s context
and culture (Armstrong
and Taylor, 2014). According to Harrison (2000), the concept of the learning
organization is an appealing notion due to its rationality, the human persuasion
and influence incurred and the potential to support the organizational for the
development and effective results.
The primary focus of the learning organization theory includes organization
systems and design (Scarborough et al 1999 as cited in
Armstrong, 2009). Although it is not mandatory to put effort on focusing what
the individuals needs to learn and how, it is imperative to influence the
individuals to enable themselves for their own development. Rather than inflicting
the notion of “learning by the organization”, creating an atmosphere more conducive
to learning, develops a learning culture, which has more results than that of
the learning organization ( Armstrong, 2009).
The way people learn
It is very important to have an understanding about how learning
take place in various individuals. According to Kim (1993) learning is the
process of increasing a person’s capacity and to effectively take actions. It
can be explained as the modification of the behavior through experience.
Figure 1.0: TYPES
OF LEARNING
|
INSTRUMENTAL LEANING
|
Learning on the Job- Learning how to do the job better after an
understanding of the basic standards of the performance
|
COGNITIVE LEARNING
|
By the enhancement of understanding and increase of knowledge
|
EFFECTIVE LEARNING
|
Based on the development of feelings and attitude other than the
knowledge
|
SELF-REFLECTIVE LEARnING
|
By the development of new patterns of thinking, understanding
and therefore creating new knowledge
|
(Source: Harrison, 2005 as cited in Armstrong, 2006)
The process of
Organizational Learning
The learning organizations facilitate access to its employees to
learn and transform itself overtime (Senge, 1990). The thinking of learning
organizations is to prepare its members to become flexible, adaptive and
survive during rapid changes that the organizations go through.
“While traditional organizations require management systems that
control people’s behavior, learning organizations invest in improving the quality of
thinking, the capacity for reflection and team learning, and the ability to
develop shared visions and shared understandings of complex issues”, (Senge
1992, p289).
Disciplines of Learning
Organization
The most predominant reason for learning
organization is; in recent time there has been an understanding about the
potentials and the capabilities of a learning organization possess. Until the
areas of the knowledge, path and the skills identified in an organization and
became known, the effort such an organization must put has been enormous.
Fundamentally and a learning organization can be distinguished from Traditional
authoritarian by the carefully mastered basic disciplines. Therefore, it is
vital to concentrate on the “disciplines of the learning organizations (Senge,
1992), as indicated in the below figure no 1.
Figure 2.0: Five Disciplines of Learning Organization
(Source: Senge, 1990)
Table 1.0: Five Disciplines of
Learning organization
Disciplines
|
System
Thinking
|
Framework
a body of knowledge and tools to make full pattern clearer and to change them
effectively.
|
Personal
Mastery
|
Results;
Reciprocal commitment between individual and organization and a spirit of
enterprise.
|
Building
a shared vision
|
The
practice of shared vision involves the skills for unearthing shared “pictures
of the future” and foster genuine commitment and enrollment rather than
compliance. This will help leaders to dictate a vision counter-productively no
matter how it’s heartfelt.
|
Team
Learning
|
The
capacity of the team members to neutralize the assumptions and thinking
together.
|
Mental
Models
|
The
engraved perspectives, generalizations or the things that could influence how
we understand our surroundings and take actions on them.
|
|
|
(Source: Senge, 1990)
The organizational learning is a three-stage process consists of
knowledge acquisition, dissemination and shared implementation (Dale, 1994).
Knowledge can be acquired by direct experience, the experience of others or
organizational memory.
As per Argyris (1992) Organizational learning occurs under
two conditions:
1). When an organization achieves what is intended.
2). When there is a mismatch between intentions has been
identified and rectified.
Adaptive and Generative Learning methods
Furthermore, Argyris (1992) introduces two methods of learning;
Single- Loop (adaptive) and double- Loop (generative) learning. The adaptive or
the single loop learning only makes small changes to the norm with little
improvements. This is an incremental learning process and does not challenge
assumptions, decisions or beliefs. Argyris (1992) points out organizations with
the Single Loop norm, first define what they expect to achieve as targets and
standards and then monitor and review those achievements and completes the loop
by taking the necessary corrective actions.
Unlike the single loop, the generative or the double loop learning
challenges the assumptions, norms, beliefs and decisions instead of accepting
them, and the learning takes place through the process of root-cause analysis
of the issues and the examinations. Due to this a new learning loop is created
which goes deeper than as created in the single loop learning process. This is
happened during when the monitoring process initiates the “Governing Variables”
to face the new situation which influenced by the external environmental
factors. The result is; due to the changed circumstances the organization has
enlightened what has to be achieved or changes in what is planned to be
achieved and then come to a conclusion of how it can be done. The process is
described in the below figure no 2
Figure 3.0: "Single-
and Double-loop learning"
(Source: Armstrong and Taylor, 2014)
Easterby-Smith and Araujo (1999) points out that the single loop
learning is more suitable when an organization is planning to get rapid
feedback on the consequences that may cause from the new tactics and strategies
implemented, as it can be linked to an incremental change. This will allow the
organization to continuously adjust and adapt as and when required.
Double loop learning is considered as superior and it involves in
major and radical changes in an organization such as change in leadership,
replacement of a senior management and strategic direction or all out system
revision.
E-Learning
As per Pollard and Hillage (2001) E-learning is, “the delivery and
administration of
learning opportunities and support via computer, networked and
web-based technology to help individual performance and development”.
E-learning enhances the learning experience by extending the
face-to-face and providing the ease of access making it receivable remotely
from anywhere, and when it is most needed depending the circumstance. To make
the learning effective the subject matters can be fed in bites or as short
segments when there are specific learning objectives needed to be achieved.
Since this is a “Learner-Centric” method, it can be customized based on the
individual’s requirements and the selective subject matters or courses can be
provided with in the same package.
Lynda.com is an online training center which provides vast scale
learning programs for organizations. The chosen organization can allow their
employees to provide learning materials online, more focused to the respective
job scopes of the individual or the team or allow them to individually select
their required learning modules or subjects. Lynda Online Training Library also
assist such organizations to track and monitor the process of each learning
program down to the individual level and provides tools for the assessment of
the intended achievements.
Creating an Learning Organizational Culture
An organizational culture that values learning can be a key
facilitator for continuous quality improvements, (Derrick-Mills et al. 2014).
Such organizations possess employees who are interested in learning and aims to
apply what they learned for the improvement of the organization and their
individual development. The compliance culture of the organization can focus on
the resources and inquire the compliance and helps analyzing data and to take
more informed decisions on the operational improvements and the process or the
program of this process.
The following figure (Winkler and Fyffe, 2016) describes the process of
this transition of Learning Culture.
Figure 4.0 : Process of Cultivating a Learning Culture
(Source: Winkler and Fyffe,2016)
Reward strategy for the learning process
Organizational learning can be taken as the addition to or change
of the shared common knowledge of the organization’s culture (Skinner,1957,1969
cited in Stephen et al, 2011). Therefore it can foster to develop
self-rectifying mechanisms and practices using knowledge through examinations
of weaknesses and failures and can be further encourage using reward systems as
they remove the barriers for knowledge and achieving them (Mary et al Saunji, 2016). Recognizing and rewarding
employees who engages in learning practices can reinforce the learning culture
in the organization and brings motivation in the daily routine, (Milway et al
Saxton, 2011).
Formal rewarding structure can encourage organization learning by
affecting it’s culture and change, rather than influencing on individual basis.
According to Duncan Brown (2001), the reward strategy is applicable for any
reward issues within the organization, to see how it is possible to create
value from it.
The following figure shows how a Learning Organization in Sri Lanka,
practices a reward strategy system to create the learning culture. This is the organization I work for, and every
employee is met with a monthly evaluation and are enlisted with a learning
program online. The individuals who successfully complete their monthly learning programs are rewarded on
incentive basis and are sponsored for extended education and career orientation
programs.
Example of a monthly employee
evaluation sheet
Picture 2
This has brought up a culture of continuous learning and innovation to the organization. As shown in the figure 4.0, under Barney's VRIO (1991, as cited in Rothaermel’s 2013), it's clear this strategic implementation of learning has gained the organization its unique culture and learning environment which is valuable, rare, costly to imitate resource which is organized to capture the value. Ultimately this resulted gaining a competitive advantage to the organization, and wining the majority market share in its business.
Figure 5.0 : Barney's VRIO Model
(Source: Barney 1991, as cited in Rothaermel’s 2013)
Learning organization strategies
Organizations are continuous learning systems. They are
coordinated processes of system changes with built in mechanisms for the
individuals and groups to access, for the use of organizational memory, and for
the culture to develop long term organizational capacity (Marsick,1994 as cited
in Armstrong, 2006). Therefore, It is necessary for organizations to invest in
people to enhance the human capital during this process, which will enhance its
capabilities, skills and organizational knowledge.
Further, organizational learning strategies should set aiming to
develop the resource base capabilities. The human capital theory indicates that
the knowledge and the skills an employee possessed by training, education and
experiences can create a productive capital (Ehrenberg and Smith 1994 as cited
in Armstrong, 2006).
Five Principles of Organizational Learning
According to Harrison (1997) five principles of a learning
organization is as follows;
- The
necessity of a coherent and a powerful vision must be communicated
throughout the organization for the requirement of the strategic thinking
at all levels.
- The
necessity of developing a strategy in the context of a vision which is
open-ended, unambiguous and powerful. This will encourage the search for
wide strategic options, lateral thinking and will orient knowledge
gathering activities among the employees.
- The
frequent communication and conversations in the framework of the vision
and goals can be a main facilitator in the organizational learning
process.
- The
continuously people are required to be challenged re-inquire what they
take for granted.
- The
development of conducive learning innovative climate is essential.
Garvin (1993, as cited in Armstrong, 2006) shows that the learning
organizations are good at doing five factors:
- Systematic Problem
solving,
- Experimentation.
- Learning from Past
Experiences.
- Learning from other’s.
- Transferring the
knowledge efficiently throughout the organization.
The infamous internet search directory Google, is a fine example to define the practice of the elements described above by Garvin (1993, as cited in Armstrong, 2006). As described by Annika ( 2014) It's learning culture made their employees motivated to come to work to make its products and services better, learn from their past experiences, share their experiences with each other and learn from each other and engage in systematic problem solving.
Conclusion
Cultivating a learning culture in an organization is quite
challenging. The biggest challenge of all is the change of attitude or the
mindset of the people and their approach. However, the incremental changes will
reward the organization in terms of the driving the results, research,
strategies that will cascade among the people who is going to contribute
through innovation.
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