Learning of Organization
Definition
Background
Why a learning Organisation?
How to create a Learning Organisation
Why Learning Organisation works
The future
Summary
Learning of Organization The Definition An organisation that learns and encourage learning amongst its people.It promotes exchange of information between employees hence creating a more knowledgeable.This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and changes through a shared vision. "A Learning Organisation is one in which people at all levels, individuals and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about."
Three broad questions
What is Learning ?
What is Organization ?
What is Learning Organization
?
What is Learning ?
Learning is the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and wisdom. It is the product of experience and the goal of education.
What is Organization ?
An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment. Company, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private.
What is Learning Organization ?
The Learning Organization is a concept that is becoming an increasingly widespread philosophy in modern companies, from the largest multinationals to the smallest ventures. What is achieved by this philosophy depends considerably on one's interpretation of it and commitment to it .
Learning of Organization Background The importance of Learning was put forward by a Chinese Philosopher, Confucius (551479BC). He believed that everyone should benefit from Learning. "Without learning, the wise become foolish; by learning, the foolish become wise." "Learn as if you could never have enough of learning, as if you might miss something."
Learning of Organisation Why a Learning Organizations?
A Company that perform badly is easily recognisable.Can you spot the sign ? • Do your employee seem unmotivated or uninterested in their` work ? • Does your workforce lack the skill & knowledge to adjust to new jobs ? • Do you seem to be the only one to come up with all ideas? • And does your workforce simply follow orders ? • Do your team argue constantly and lack real productivity? • or lack communication between each other? If any of these points sound familiar the answer for you could be Learning Organisation.
Learning of Organisation How to Create a Learning Organisation •
The Building Blocks
• Implementation Strategies • The Golden Rules • People Behaviour
Learning of Organisation The Building Blocks Before a learning organisations can be implemented , a sole foundation can be made by taking into account the following: • • • • •
Awareness Environment Leadership Empowerment Learning
Learning of Organisation • Awareness Organisation must be aware that learning is necessary before they can develop into a Learning organisation.This may seems to be strange statement but this learning must be take place at all levels, not just the management level. • 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.
Learning of Organisation •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. •Empowerment The focus 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
Learning of Organisation
Learning
Companies can learn to achieve these aims in Learning Labs. These are small-scale models of reallife settings where management teams learn how to learn together through simulation games. They need to find out what failure is like so that they can learn from their mistakes in the future.
Learning of Organisation Implementation Strategies Any organisation that wants to implement a learning organisation philosophy requires an overall strategy with clear, well defined goals. Once these have been established, the tools needed to facilitate the strategy must be identified. It is clear that everyone has their own interpretation of the "Learning Organisation" idea, so to produce an action plan that will transform groups into Learning Organisations might seem impossible. However, it is possible to identify three generic strategies that highlight possible routes to developing Learning Organisations .
Learning of Organisation The three strategies are: Accidental For many companies, adopting a learning organisation philosophy is the second step to achieving this Holy Grail. They may already be taking steps to achieve their business goals that, in hindsight, fit the framework for implementing a Learning Organisation. Subversive Once an organisation has discovered the Learning Organisation philosophy, they must make a decision as to how they want to proceed. This is a choice between a subversive and a declared strategy.
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Learning of Organisation Declared The other option is the declared approach. This is self explanatory. The principles of Learning Organisations are adopted as part of the company ethos, become company "speak" and are manifest openly in all company initiatives.
Learning of Organisation The Golden rules 1. Thrive on Change o
Don’t be scared
o
Learning Organisations feed on change.
o
Go all the way (no half-way house)
o
Committed :focused
o
Know objectives; plan
Learning of Organisation 2. Encourage Experimentation o experimentation is a necessary risk o individual input rewarded. o encourage throughout the company 3. Communicate Success and Failure o review o assessment (continuous/self) 4. Facilitate learning from the surrounding Environment o find internal & external source of information o learn form experience from other companies (open your eyes). o above all discuss customer needs
Learning of Organisation 5. Facilitate learning from Employees o encourage participation and experimentation (linked to point 2) o invest in training - multiskilling (getting most from employees), morale o empowerment/responsibility o remove hierarchy 6. Reward Learning o everybody's wants their work to be appreciated boost morale o benchmarks for performance appraisal o rewards
Learning of Organisation 7. A proper Selfishness o clear goals/objectives o hints on clarifying objectives 8. A Sense of Caring o care for the individual o ways of implementing this care
Learning of Organisation People Behavior
Behaviour to Encourage There are five disciplines (As described by Peter Senge) which are essential to a learning organisation and should be encouraged at all times. These are: Team Learning Shared Visions Mental Models Personal Mastery Systems Thinking
Learning of Organisation Behaviour to Discourage An organisation which is not a learning one also displays behaviours, however these should definitely not be encouraged. Rosabeth Moss Kantar studied a range of large American corporations and came up with rules for stifling initiative : •
Regard any new idea from below with suspicion because it is new and because it is from below
•
Make decisions to reorganise or change policies in secret and spring them on people unexpectedly (that also keeps people on their toes).
Learning of Organisation Why Learning Organisation Works 2. The People Develop o
Greater Motivation
o
The workforce is more flexible
o
People are more creative
o
Improved social Interaction
2. Teams and group work better o
Knowledge sharing
o
Interdependency
Learning of Organisation Why Learning Organisation Works 3. The Company Benefits
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Breakdown of traditional communication barriers
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Customers relations
o
Information resources
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Innovation and creativity
Learning of Organisation The Future In the future the following areas will become increasingly more important. • Investment in Learning • Technology • Information Highway • Knowledge is the key • Unemployment • Learning Culture • Customer-Client Relationship • Conclusion
Learning of Organisation Summary The perfect Learning Organisation is not an attainable goal ,it is merely a desirable concept: there is no correct implementation of the Learning Organisation. Every company can continuously adapt and adjust and some will be better Learning Organisations than others, but every one of them has something new to learn. Finally it should be mentioned that the Learning Organisation is just a means to a business goal, created to improve productivity and most importantly profit. Quite how long this philosophy will remain fashionable is unknown. What is certain is that for any company in today's global marketplace continuous change and adaptation is the only way to survive.