Organisational Learning: A New Paradigm for the 21st Century - Literature review Example

Organisational Learning: A New Paradigm for the 21st Century Introduction In today's business world, it is increasingly recognised that change is the rule rather than the exception of business. It is therefore in the interest of all businesses to adopt a culture of learning. In this way, all employees work together in a learning environment for the improvement of the company. This furthermore leads to a greater sense of work satisfaction, as each member of the organisation makes a contribution to the company as a whole. The task of learning how to learn necessitates that each employee understands his or her position in relation to the rest of the company, providing a more meaningful platform from which to work. This is particularly demonstrated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as explicated by Jack Dwyer (2004). According to Dwyer, Eglin's Air Armament Center (AAC), under the leadership of Gen. Robert W. Chedister, has become a learning organisation in the true sense of the term. Making this possible, is the motivation and focus of each individual and each team within the AAC to use learning in order to increasingly produce results. This is the ultimate aim of the paradigm shift that Gen. Chedister is leading in his organisation. A Change in Organisational Metaphor: The Organism To facilitate the process of creating a learning organisation, Gareth Morgan (1997) suggests using metaphor in order to view the organisational structure. Whereas organisations during the Industrial Age were largely viewed in a mechanistic way, the human factor has increasingly imposed itself. Since the 1960s particularly, managers have increasingly begun to realise that job satisfaction and the meaning derived from the work day positively influences the quality of the work delivered. Hence the mechanistic metaphor for the organisation has also made way for a more organic, flexible, and generally humanistic view. One such view is the organisation as organism. In this view, the organisation functions within a certain environment that it influences and that influences the organisation in turn. As such, the organisation adapts and survives according to and in response to the changes in the environment. In this way, the mechanistic view of the organisation makes way for a much more flexible view, in which organisations are open systems that can adapt to change rather than being destroyed by it. At the basis of this is the recognition that an organisation is a combination of human, business, and technical needs. This is very important for the learning paradigm. Larsen et al. (1996) emphasizes that individual learning translates to the benefit for the organisational organism as a whole via systems thinking. Systems thinking entails that the individual focuses on a whole system, rather than only its parts. In this way, patterns of behaviour are derived from the systems observed at work, and team learning can ensue. This is why the vision of the workplace as an integrated organism is important. Each individual has a role to play, but these roles do not exist in isolation. Instead, each role affects each other role, and the organisation's success depends upon the quality of each individual's work. As mentioned above, understanding this integration provides the individual with meaning and motivation at the workplace. Understanding the effect of his or her own work on the performance and success of others, provides the individual with work satisfaction, and the motivation to deliver the best possible work. Innovation as Learning Paradigm According to Dwyer (2004), this is precisely Chedister's point of view. The latter recognises the current business environment as one that demands innovation in all aspects of the company, including training methods. Indeed, Chedister himself adheres to the organic, learning business metaphor by applying his own work experience to his plans for the future. It is his aim to create an integrated business model, by means of which Eglin's collective learning assets can be captured and shared. In providing their products, it is therefore Chedister and his team's vision for the company to make targeted, smart business decisions, and to deliver superior, competitive products. In this way, the company and its leaders recognise that the business environment of the 21st century demands not only a certain business intelligence, but also the capacity to change according to the emergent and changing needs of the market. Specifically, Dwyer notes the belief within the company that the learning organisation at Eglin can provide an environment that encourages experimentation from which new system development approaches can be created. Each individual will also be encouraged to, like Chedister, learn from his or her own experiences as well as those of others, while continually sharing these learning experiences among each other. David A Garvin (2000:19) also emphasises the point of innovation and openness. According to the author, a lack of focus on innovation and a lack of willingness to change and adjust according to the environment, leads to stagnation, habit, and a perpetuation of the status quo. These do not characterise the successful organisation in the 21st century. The Organisation as Brain According to Morgan, another very efficient metaphor for organisations is the image of the brain. This is particularly apt when considering organisations in terms of their learning capacity. In this light, the organisation is viewed in terms of its collective intelligence. In other words, its abilities and processes are scrutinised for their effect upon the growth of organisational intelligence, or lack thereof. Viewing the organisation in this way is itself a learning process, in that research regarding the human brain can also be applied to the organisational structure and process. It is also important to view the organisation in the image of the brain in order to help the adjustment process to the current information age. Knowledge, information and learning are the very building blocks not only of business, but also of society today. This makes the brain one of the most powerful symbols for the organisation functioning in the digital age. Morgan cites research suggesting that the brain functions in terms of a decentralised point of control. Intelligence occurs throughout the brain; each part integrating with the others in order to form the functioning whole. This is one of the aims Chedister has for his organisation. In order to optimise the function of the AAC learning organisation, Chedister wishes to provide targeted training that would optimise skills to specific work. Learning is thus focused upon improvement. In order to accomplish this, AAC senior leaders identify knowledge gaps and room for improvement during the course of their work within the organisation. These are then presented to Chedister, who uses the information as a training opportunity. In this way, learning occurs throughout the organisation: Chedister learns about the learning needs of his staff and provides for these; the leaders learn to interact effectively with staff in order to accurately identify gaps, and staff fill the gaps, ultimately improving the work of the organisation as a whole. As such, each staff member contributes towards the function of the organisation as a whole. It is an integrated process, with no single center of control: like the brain, each component is a necessary part of the success of the whole. In order to perpetuate this learning paradigm, Chedister established a new training policy during 2003. Personnel are for example to attend specific training days for each month. There are also bimonthly training weeks in order to maintain knowledge that requires longer-term training periods. The content of these learning opportunities are the result of investigating the learning needs of personnel, and integrating these with AFMC and AAC strategic objectives and goals (Dwyer). Morgan also points out that organisations can be seen as information processing brains. The various components of the organisation are connected via electronics, and in this way function to organise and process information. Eglin's electronic communication and education system is an example of this. Each individual is electronically registered for training, and completed training is entered into an electronic network. This translates into a learning plan, with future objectives building upon completed work. It then becomes clear how the organisation, based upon the metaphor of the brain, becomes a learning organisation on a variety of levels. Morgan particularly mentions Cybernetics as important when considering the brain as metaphor. Cybernetics, in its study of information, communication and control, particularly addresses negative feedback in this regard. Negative feedback refers to error elimination, as Chedister is doing by means of his gap identification procedure. At each stage of the feedback process, deviations are reduced and the process improved. Learning to Learn Morgan further suggests that organisations can learn to learn, although many have advanced only to the stage of single-loop learning. In this, the environment is scanned, objectives set, and the performance of the system monitored. Information systems are then created to maintain the course of the organisation. The problem with such systems is however that they stagnate learning and institutionalise the first process without maintaining flexibility. In order to truly be a learning organisation, Morgan suggests several strategies. Rather than only once scanning a narrow environment for the purpose of strategising, an organisation should continually scan and anticipate change in environments that are wider than only the immediate vicinity and time frame. Rather than accepting the norm, assumptions should be questioned, challenged, and changed as necessary. The learning organisation should also be open and flexible enough to allow the emergence of appropriate strategy and organisation patterns. This means that the company not only grows in size, but evolves in terms of intelligence, like a growing brain. This is something that most organisations today recognise. Double-loop rather than single-loop learning should be adopted if an organisation is to evolve strategically. Double-loop learning means, as mentioned above, that assumptions and norms are questioned continually in order to establish the best practice within the organisation. This is done through the paradigm known as Total Quality Management. In this integrated learning approach, managers follow certain strategic paradigms: They excavate recurring problems in order to bring to light the appropriate strategy for handling them, like Chedister does via his senior leaders. Existing practice is continually replaced with better paradigms of action. Learning is a priority in such an organisation. Margaret Dale (Mabey & Iles, 1995:22) makes another important observation about learning organisations. Learning implies work in progress. The process is never complete, and learning never stops. Indeed, as already mentioned, organisational learning is an evolutionary process. Companies adapt to their changing environments. As change is the norm, learning can never be said to be complete. In an organisation, it is also important to learn not only individually, but also collectively (Dixon, 2000:175). The advantage of collective learning is that individual factors such as subjective attitudes and behaviours can be distanced from the individual by comparison to the opinions and learning paradigms of others. In this way an organisation becomes more than the sum of its parts. It becomes a truly dynamic organism made up of integrated parts that work together for the benefit of the whole. The way in which Dwyer describes Eglin demonstrates that learning is one of the major priorities in the organisation. Clearly, Chedister wishes to follow a continuous paradigm of learning, which includes himself. He learns via his subordinates in order to improve the organisation on a continuous basis. This establishes a basis for continuous improvement and evolution within the company. By current business standards, this is also what will maintain and extend the lifespan of any given business. According to Dwyer, Chedister has delineated his organisational objectives in order to establish the above-mentioned evolution paradigm. The most important of these is to create and enable the workforce, and establish a culture of transformation. Transformation is dynamic and ensures that an organisation moves towards its goals. Indeed, learning itself can be established as equal to transformation. If done correctly, the individual is transformed by what he or she learns, and is concomitantly enabled to take part in the transformation process of the organisation as a whole. In addition to providing learning programs, Chedister and his team also has a feedback system in place in order to learn from students and faculty, and their experiences with the offered programs. Such feedback, course suggestions, and lessons are used in order to establish the need for change in future learning programs. The result is that the Eglin organisation is built upon flexibility and innovation; the two components of evolution that are vital to the continued existence of the organisation. The workforce at Eglin is thus provided with an integrated system by means of which each individual is furnished with learning opportunities, performance support, and any other information needed to perform optimally. Each training portfolio is enhanced by means of the tools provided by Chedister and his team. To further facilitate the opportunity for learning, the Internet is used in order to present workers with the latest information in continuous learning modules, practice communities, and knowledge sharing. In order to establish a learning culture then, one of Chedister's main aims is to provide as many opportunities as possible for training and learning. At Eglin, every member of staff is also a self-directed learner with the ability to apply knowledge to situations facing them on a daily basis. Conclusion In conclusion, it appears that Chedister, as the leader of a learning organisation, has implemented all the paradigms in order to optimise the evolution of development within Eglin. Indeed, he has himself adopted these paradigms in order to become part of the whole rather than the center of control. This correlates well with the current organisational paradigms and philosophies, by which leaders are to become facilitators rather than the heads of bureaucracies. Chedister appears to be an exemplary embodiment of the best learning practices suggested by the leading authors on the topic. By continually monitoring the effectiveness of his organisation, Chedister has established a paradigm not only of learning, but also of improvement. Eglin has become an organisation that benefits from its learning paradigm on both an individual and collective level. Bibliography Dale, Margaret (1995) Learning Organizations. In Managing Learning by Mabey C. & Iles P. (ed), Oxford University Press. Dixon, Nancy M. (2000). The Organizational Learning Cycle. Gower Publishing, Ltd. Dwyer, Jack. (2004, July-Aug). A learning transformation: The Eglin learning organization. Defense AT&L. Database: FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QMG/is_4_33/ai_n6137441tag=content;col1 Garvin, David A. (2000) Learning In Action. Harvard Business Press. Giesecke, Joan (2004). Transitioning to the learning organization. Library Trends. Database: FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1387/is_1_53/ai_n8640806 Larsen, Kai, McInerney, Claire, Nyquist, Corinne, Santos, Aldo & Silsbee, Donna (1996, May 13). Learning Organizations. http://home.nycap.rr.com/klarsen/learnorg/#_Toc356579328 Morgan G. (1997) Images of Organisations. Sage Schachter, Debbie. (2006, Dec) The learning organization. Information Outlook. Database: FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_12_10/ai_n17216298 Schlechty, Philip C. (2006, Oct). Bureaucracies and learning organizations. School Administrator. Database: FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSD/is_9_63/ai_n27017188 Skyrme, David. (2008). Insight No 3: The Learning Organization. David Skyrme Associates. http://www.skyrme.com/insights/3lrnorg.htm Read More