Learning Organization

 

Introduction

The learning organization is defined as “one in which provision is made for the continuous learning of its members” ( Armstrong ,2010).  Senge ( 1990 ) defined the learning organization as “Where people continually expand their capacity to create the results, they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together ( Senge ,1990).

The Learning Organization is one ‘which facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself’ (Pedler et al ,1997 ). Further learning organization refers as ‘continually improves by rapidly creating and refunding the capabilities required for future success’ ( Wick and Leon ,1995 ).

 

Critical Evaluation of the Learning Organization Concept

The Concept of the Learning Organization is concept of convincing because of its wisdom, attractiveness of human and potential to support organizational effectiveness and advancement ( Harrison,2000). Per the Literature Review (Knowledge Management) done by Scarborough et al ( 1999) explain ‘the dominant perspective of the learning organization concept is that of organization systems and design’. Small consideration looks like what individuals want to learn or how they lean. The suggestion is that employees should be able to invest on their own development appears to have avoided learning organization theorists who are more oriented to aim on the imposition of learning by the organization, rather than making a situation conducive to learning (Armstrong,2010).Efforts to create specific best practice structure to realizing the learning organizations are fundamentally inconsistent. There are other problems with the concept such as it is idealistic, Knowledge Management models are beginning to supersede it, couple of companies are able to meet the measures and there’s little evidence of successful learning organization( Easterby – Smith ,1997 ).

 

 According to Garvin (1993) Five good things that Learning Organization need s to follow,

 

1.    Systematic Problem solving –

There should be a scientific method rather than guesswork for detect the organizational problems. What Deming(1986) states ‘plan-docheck-act ‘cycle and others refer to as ‘hypothesis -generating, hypothesis -testing ‘techniques. Need data rather than assumptions are required as the background to decision-making. What quality consultants call ‘fact-based management’ and simple statistical tools such as histograms, Pareto charts and cause and effect diagrams are used to organize data and come to conclusions.

2.    Experimentation –

This activity explains the methodical search and experiments of new knowledge. Continuous improvement programmes to meet organizational strategic plan. ‘Kaizen’ ideas it’s a Japanese method which are playing an important role here in a learning organization.

3.     Learning from past experience -

Learning organizations usually review their successes and failures, evaluate them methodically and do record the lessons learnt and keep that employee find easily. 

4.     Learning from others -

Sometimes the most powerful ideas come from outsiders, This process has been called SIS, ‘Steal Ideas Shamelessly’. A methodical process of identifying best practice organizations and studying certain extent what they are doing can be transferred with necessary adjustment which suitable to the own organization.

 

 

5.    Transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization-

By Transferring employees with new expertise or education, knowledge and training programmes and at the end obviously should be linked with implementation.

 

List of References

·       Armstrong , M ,2010 , Armstrong’s essential Human Resource Management Practice , Kogan Page

·       Argyris, C and Schon, D A ,1996, Organizational Learning: A theory of action perspective, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA

·       Armstrong, M  & Taylor,S 2014 , Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice,  13th edn, Kogan page.

·       Deming, W E, 1986 Out of the Crisis, Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Engineering Studies

·       Easterby-Smith, M ,1997, Disciplines of organizational learning: contributions and critiques, Human Relations, 50 (9), pp 1085–113

·       Garvin, D A,1993, Building a learning organization, Harvard Business Review, July–August, pp 78–91

·       Harrison, R ,2000, Employee Development, 2nd edn, IPM, London

·       Pedler, M, Burgoyne, J and Boydell, T ,1997, The Learning Company: A strategy for sustainable development, 2nd edn, Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill

·       Senge, P ,1990, The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization, Doubleday, London.

·       Scarborough, H, Swan, J and Preston, J ,1999, Knowledge Management: A Literature Review, Institute of Personnel and Development, London

·       Wick, C W and Leon, L S ,1995, Creating a learning organization: from ideas to action, Human Resource Management, Summer, pp 299–311