8/7/2019 A learning organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuousl…

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-learning-organization-is-the-term-given-to-a-company-that-facilitates-the 1/3

A learning organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously

transforms itself. Learning organizations develop as a result of the pressures facing modern organizations and enables them

remain competitive in the business environment. A learning organization has five main features; systems thinking, personal

mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning.

The main benefits are:

y  Maintaining levels of innovation and remaining competitive

y  Being better placed to respond to external pressures

y  Having the knowledge to better link resources to customer needs

y  Improving quality of outputs at all levels

y  Improving corporate image by becoming more people oriented

y  Increasing the pace of change within the organization

Characteristics:A learning organization exhibits five main characteristics: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, a

shared vision, and team learning.

Systems thinking. The idea of the learning organization developed from a body of work called systems thinking. T

is a conceptual framework that allows people to study businesses as bounded objects. Learning organizations use

this method of thinking when assessing their company and have information systems that measure the performa

of the organization as a whole and of its various components. Systems thinking states that all the characteristics

must be apparent at once in an organization for it to be a learning organization. If some of these characteristics is

missing then the organization will fall short of its goal. However OKeeffe believes that the characteristics of a

learning organization are factors that are gradually acquired, rather than developed simultaneously.

Personal mastery. The commitment by an individual to the process of learning is known as personal mastery. The

is a competitive advantage for an organization whose workforce can learn quicker than the workforce of other

organizations. Individual learning is acquired through staff training and development, however learning cannot be

forced upon an individual who is not receptive to learning. Research shows that most learning in the workplace is

incidental, rather than the product of formal training, therefore it is important to develop a culture where person

mastery is practiced in daily life. A learning organization has been described as the sum of individual learning, but

there must be mechanisms for individual learning to be transferred into organizational learning.

Mental models. The assumptions held by individuals and organizations are called mental models. To become a

learning organization, these models must be challenged. Individuals tend to espouse theories, which are what theintend to follow, and theories-in-use, which are what they actually do. Similarly, organisations tend to have

memories which preserve certain behaviours, norms and values. In creating a learning environment it is importa

to replace confrontational attitudes with an open culture that promotes inquiry and trust. To achieve this, the

learning organization needs mechanisms for locating and assessing organizational theories of action. Unwanted

values need to be discarded in a process called unlearning. Wang and Ahmed refer to this as triple loop learning

Shared vision. The development of a shared vision is important in motivating the staff to learn, as it creates a

common identity that provides focus and energy for learning. The most successful visions build on the individual

visions of the employees at all levels of the organization, thus the creation of a shared vision can be hindered by

traditional structures where the company vision is imposed from above. Therefore, learning organizations tend to

have flat, decentralized organizational structures. The shared vision is often to succeed against a competitor,

however Senge states that these are transitory goals and suggests that there should also be long term goals that a

intrinsic within the company.

Team learning. The accumulation of individual learning constitutes Team learning. The benefit of team or shared

learning is that staff grow more quickly and the problem solving capacity of the organization is improved through

better access to knowledge and expertise. Learning organizations have structures that facilitate team learning wit

features such as boundary crossing and openness. Team learning requires individuals to engage in dialogue and

discussion; therefore team members must develop open communication, shared meaning, and shared

understanding. Learning organizations typically have excellent knowledge management structures, allowing

creation, acquisition, dissemination, and implementation of this knowledge in the organization

8/7/2019 A learning organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuousl…

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-learning-organization-is-the-term-given-to-a-company-that-facilitates-the 2/3

According to Peter Senge the 5 dimensions that distinguishes learning from more traditional organisations is the

mastery of certain basic disciplines or component technologies. Are:

Systems thinking 

The ability to see the big picture and identify patterns and themes instead of individual events. Senge argues we

tend to apply overly simplistic frameworks to complex systems; focusing on the parts instead of the whole.

Classically we look to actions that produce improvements in a relatively short time span. However, when viewed i

systems terms short-term improvements often involve very significant long-term costs. We may learn from

experience but a simplistic short term view may mean we never learn. The argument runs, a better appreciation o

systems will lead to more appropriate action.

See how instructional design. takes account of a systems approach to learning here.

Personal mastery. 

Organisations only learn when individuals learn but individual learning does not guarantee organisational learning

People with personal mastery are continual learners and are aware of their short comings, development needs an

ignorance yet they have the self confidence to be active learners.

Mental models. 

This is about understanding that our assumptions and generalisations profoundly influence how we see the world

and the decisions and actions we make. The process here is to uncover those assumptions or mental models and

test them. It is also about balancing advocacy and inquiry and avoiding non-productive corporate games and polit

It is also about more distributed and local team ownership In other words it is about fostering a mental flexibilityand openness.

Building shared vision. 

The emphasis is on a shared vision which means collaborative development to foster genuine engagement and

commitment rather than just compliance. This is the exact opposite of a CEO selling a vision. Visions spread becau

of a reinforcing process. Increased clarity, enthusiasm and commitment rub off on others in the organization. As

people talk, the vision grows clearer. As it gets clearer, enthusiasm for its benefits grow. Shared visioning build

commitment for the future.

Team learning. 

This is about discussion and team alignment; it is about creating the results that the team desires. It builds on visio

and personal mastery but these are not enough. Teams have to learn to work and learn together.It is about team

disciplines and the quality of the teams discussions and insights. When teams learn together, Peter Senge sugges

not only can there be good results for the organization; members will grow more rapidly than could have occurre

otherwise.

Before a Learning Organisations can be implemented , a solid foundation can be made by taking into account th

following :

Awareness

Environment

Leadership

Empowerment

Learning

Awareness

Organisations must be aware that learning is necessary before they can develop into a Learning Organisation. This

may seem to be a strange statement but this learning must take place at all levels; not just the Management leve

Once the company has excepted the need for change, it is then responsible for creating the appropriate

environment for this change to occur in.

8/7/2019 A learning organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuousl…

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-learning-organization-is-the-term-given-to-a-company-that-facilitates-the 3/3

Environment:

Centralised, mechanistic structures do not create a good environment. Individuals do not have a comprehensive

picture of the whole organisation and its goals. This causes political and parochial systems to be set up which stifle

the learning process. Therefore a more flexible, organic structure must be formed. By organic, we mean a flatter

structure which encourages innovations. The flatter structure also promotes passing of information between

workers and so creating a more informed work force. 

It is necessary for management to take on a new philosophy; to encourage openness, reflectivity and accept error

and uncertainty. Members need to be able to question decisions without the fear of reprimand. This questioning

can often highlight problems at an early stage and reduce time consuming errors. One way of over-coming this fe

is to introduce anonymity so that questions can be asked or suggestions made but the source is not necessarily

known.

Leadership

Leaders should foster the Systems Thinking concept and encourage learning to help both the individual and

organisation in learning. It is the leader's responsibility to help restructure the individual views of team members.

For example, they need to help the teams understand that competition is a form of learning; not a hostile act.

Management must provide commitment for long-term learning in the form of resources. The amount of resourceavailable (money, personnel and time) determines the quantity and quality of learning. This means that the

organisation must be prepared to support this.

Empowerment

The locus of control shifts from managers to workers. This is where the term Empowerment is introduced. The

workers become responsible for their actions; but the managers do not lose their involvement. They still need to

encourage, enthuse and co-ordinate the workers. Equal participation must be allowed at all levels so that membe

can learn from each other simultaneously. This is unlike traditionally learning that involves a top-down structure

(classroom-type example) which is time consuming.

Learning

Companies can learn to achieve these aims in Learning Labs. These are small-scale models of real-life settings whe

management teams learn how to learn together through simulation games. They need to find out what failure is l

so that they can learn from their mistakes in the future. These managers are then responsible for setting up an

open, flexible atmosphere in their organisations to encourage their workers to follow their learning example.

Anonymity has already been mentioned and can be achieved through electronic conferencing. This type of 

conferencing can also encourage different sites to communicate and share knowledge, thus making a company tr

a Learning Organisation.