 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If the success of organizations depends on managing knowledge in all its forms, then intrinsically supportive of this notion is the Learning Organization. In general terms, the learning organization may be defined as an organization that views learning as the principal means of building the capacity for knowledge. By recognizing that the value of knowledge as an asset grows to the extent that it is shared, a learning organization instills a culture of dedication to developing this chief asset. Within such a culture, learning is synonymous with building knowledge capital. Indeed, according to Peter Senge, perhaps the most renowned advocate of the learning organization, this type of organization is “continually expanding its capacity to create its future.” In this respect, the learning organization accepts learning as the fundamental precondition of continued organizational success. More, it defines organizational structure, behaviour, and purpose by reference to what is required to build the capacity for learning within the organization. Thus the concept of the learning organization is not only broad but deep, going to the very foundation of how an organization defines itself. The concept provides a new way of looking at organizational structure, behaviour, and culture. The learning organization favors competencies that support the open sharing of knowledge. It encourages risk, recognizes the importance of mistakes to the process of genuine learning, and looks to study best and worst practices both within and outside the organization. It rewards independence of mind, initiative, creativity, and imagination. This concept, it should be clear, describes an ideal. While different authorities define the concept in different ways, no one definition is all encompassing and more overtly credible than others.(1)
This comprehensive approach to learning stands in sharp contrast to the more traditional conception of learning as training. Under this conception, a conception still widely held, learning is a matter of acquiring principles applicable to a certain task or function. Learning is delivered once, often in a classroom setting, and the learner is then left to apply whatever knowledge is acquired. Being restricted to certain periods within the career of an individual, the learning process is discrete. It is discrete in another sense as well. There is often little or no link between the training delivered and the business needs of the organization.
By contrast, the learning organization seeks to embed learning within the business of the organization. Far from being a discrete activity, learning is regarded as a continuous and necessary means of accomplishing the organizational mission and vision. Here, then, learning is a continuous and core activity of the organization. For this reason, it is often considered a central feature of whatever system is used to manage the performance of employees and of the entire organization. The investment in learning is thus regarded as the chief capital investment that the organization makes. With respect to organizational structure, a learning organization favors structures that are less hierarchical and more open. The traditional organization has a tendency to be functionally and divisionally structured. Multidisciplinary teams and communities of practice with traditional organizations, for instance, are often considered focal points of learning and work. On this view, the narrow and often impermeable structures of such teams - the stovepipes and silos inhibit learning and prevent the sharing of knowledge across the organizations. Failing to share knowledge prevents that knowledge from growing. The learning organization is also often linked in the literature to success in recruiting and retaining outstanding employees. If one considers that recent graduates and new employees seek (or indeed, demand) ample opportunities to learn and grow within organizations, then a culture that facilitates this growth is necessary. Organizations that do not implement the types of principles that characterize learning organizations will most probably have serious difficulties building and retaining capable workforces. Lastly, in order to place the right emphasis on learning as a continuous activity, the concept of the learning organization tends to redefine the traditional notion of management. In terms of leadership, the learning organization promotes the embodiment of manager as learning coach. The manager becomes an individual whose primary role within the organization is to develop in others those technical, business, and behavioural competencies upon which the knowledge and hence success of the organization ultimately rests.
[1] Di Bella and Nevis distinguish three different perspectives on the learning organization: the normative, developmental, and capability perspectives. They divide the vast literature on organizational learning by author and perspective, producing a list of 32 authors sorted by perspective. Di Bella and Nevis carefully distinguish between the learning organization and such related though different notions as organizational learning and continuous learning, concepts that are often confused in popular discussions. The treatment of the notion of the learning organization here will avoid these subtleties, focusing on only the more general features of the concept and thus attempting to avoid commitment to any one perspective on the matter. It should be clear that learning is not the only way to build knowledge. Knowledge can be bought or rented. The concept of the learning organization focuses on the development of knowledge within organizations. For more, see How Organizations Learn, Di Bella and Nevis, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998. For further information on our Continuous Learning services contact Britta Humphrey Human Resource Systems Group Ltd.
|
|
|
 |
|
