A Start to Organizational Learning!

“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.

Learning Methods.

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 a Culture of Learning.

Creating a 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).

Principles of Organizational Learning.

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.