The learning organization can never be achieved in reality - Essay Example

The Learning Organization Can Never Be Achieved in Reality Introduction and Synopsis Management theorists including Smith (2001a) recognize that although there has been considerable debate about learning organizations ever since the emergence of the concept in the early 1990s, it has not been as easy to cite examples of such organizations in real life. Smith (2001a) therefore is of the opinion that the concept of the learning organization may be too idealistic to be translated into reality; similarly, theorists such as Jashapara (1993) have metaphorically equated the struggle to become a learning organization with 'a quest for the Holy Grail'. This paper first reviews, summarizes and explains available literature on the subject of learning organizations and further attempts to determine whether such an organization is in reality achievable or not. Understanding the Concept of and Extant Literature about the Learning Organization The Learning Organization as Envisioned by Peter Senge The concept of the learning organization was pioneered and popularized during the 1990s by Peter Senge through his book The Fifth Discipline which was first published in the year 1990 (Smith, 2001b). The premise behind the theory of learning organizations is that in the rapidly changing world; where today's new discovery may be obsolete tomorrow, only those succeed who are 'adaptive' and 'flexible' (Smith, 2001) and Senge (1990a, p. 4) believes that this could only happen when organizations 'discover how to tap people's commitment and capacity to learn at all levels'. Senge (1990a, p. 3) views learning organizations as those where people continually strive to broaden the horizons of their capacity for the achievement of desired results, where innovative and out of the box thinking is encouraged and cultivated, where team work and collectivism is valued and 'where people are continually learning to see the whole together'. Senge believes that true learning enables both organizations and individuals to re-invent themselves and thus argues that survival alone is not the objective for learning organizations. He goes on to distinguish between 'adaptive' or single-loop learning and 'generative' or double-loop learning, and explains that where 'adaptive learning' is that which is necessary for mere survival, learning organizations are those which combine adaptive learning with 'generative learning', i.e. learning which enriches the ability to create (1990a, p. 14). Evolution of the Concept of the Learning Organization Rowden (2001), in an effort to trace the learning organization to its founding disciplines recognizes that the concept of the learning organization is not new and can trace its roots in organizational learning (Argyris & Schon, 1978) as well as being derived from action learning (Revans, 1983). Further, the learning organization concept is found to be rooted in organizational development specifically in 'action research methodology' and organic organizational theory. The concept is based most specifically on systems theory (Senge, 1990a) whereas its application to business has been more of an evolutionary outcome of strategic management (Fiol & Lyles 1985; Hosley et al. 1994), which in turn has over the years realized that the fundamental source of strategic change is in fact organizational learning (DeGeus 1988; Jashapara 1993). Rowden (2001) further notes the opinions of thinkers Senge (1990b) and Stata (1989) that the practical application of the notion of the learning organization began with the increased emphasis on continual quality improvement in the recent past. Characteristics of Learning Organizations Senge (1990a) identifies the five building blocks of the learning organization and calls them its 'component technologies', which are systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision and team learning. Similar thinking is echoed by Watkins & Marsick (1993) and Rowden (2001), who agree that learning organizations share certain key characteristics. They provide learning opportunities to people on a continuous basis, use learning as the primary tool to fulfil their objectives, link the individual's performance to the organization's performance. Such organizations are not only aware of their internal and external environment but actively initiate interaction among the two by embracing 'creative tension as a source of energy and renewal' (Rowden, 2001). Two Literary Perspectives about Learning Organizations Garavan (1997) summarizes the literature on learning organizations and categories it into two major perspectives: first that which treats learning organizations as a variable that can be incorporated into an organization to have significant impact on other organizational outputs and the second which 'treats the learning organization as a metaphor to describe an organization'. Further elaborating the two perspectives, Garavan (1997) believes that those with the former view of learning organization, i.e. of a variable, 'tend to have an objective and functional view of reality' and those with the latter view of learning organizations as a 'root metaphor' see them fundamentally as 'learning cultures'. Beyond these two views, Garavan (1997) claims that the literature on this subject is fairly complex, although the central challenge faced by the concept is the question of whether learning can truly be 'managed' or not. The Learning Organization as a Model of Strategic Change Rowden (2001) possesses somewhat similar views, claiming that the term 'learning organization' is mostly used in relevant literature as representative of 'a certain type of organization' which implies the possibility of classifying some organizations as learning organizations and others as not. After having reviewed such literature, Rowden (2001) himself has come to the opinion that 'it seems more useful to think of the learning organization as a model of strategic change'. Thus, Rowden (2001) believes the learning organization to be a model of strategic change rather than a 'type of organization'. The Learning Organization: An Unachievable Ideal or a Practically Possible Ambition Which ever one of the literary perspectives one uses as a frame of reference, the fact remains that managers and strategists have yet to reach a consensus regarding the achievability of a learning organization in real life and that theorists like Garavan (1997), Smith (2001a) and Rowden (2001) continue to see flaws in the theory of learning organizations and inhibitions in its practical application to real organizations. After having reviewed the literature on the subject, we now move on to tackle the debate on the possibility of achieving a learning organization in reality. Implications of the Characteristics of the Learning Organization The summary of characteristics of the learning organization put forward by Rowden (2001) and mentioned earlier in this paper imply, as does Kerka (1995) that for the formation of a learning organization, learning is valuable and most valuable when shared and that every experience can become an opportunity to learn. This point of view essentially implies that not only correct and profitable steps taken by the people of an organization be encouraged, but also attempts which are classified as mistakes be looked upon positively by the management of organizations, from the perspective that mistakes facilitate learning. The increased emphasis on learning then may out manoeuvre an organization's primary reason for existence which is to make profit in one form or another. The Learning Paradox Another problem associated with the practical application of the learning organization becomes apparent when we review two concepts together. First, that one of the key features of learning organizations as highlighted in the literature is that they harness a culture of double-loop learning. Visionaries such as Senge (1990a) realize that single-loop or adaptive learning is not only a stepping stone for the achievement of double-loop learning but also crucial to the very survival of an organization. Second, management theorists such as Farago & Skyrme (1995) point out towards free exchange and flow of information as being crucial to develop a learning organization culture. This leads us to deduce that in order for the organizations of today to facilitate double-loop learning and bring the learning organization out of the drawing board phase there is a need to practice free flow and dissemination of information, which presents a challenge to the very phenomenon behind the popular practice of knowledge management in the business firm. Indeed, this renders the learning organizations concept and knowledge management as 'two sides to the same coin' (Farago & Skyrme, 1995). The Learning Organization and Current Government Initiatives Government initiatives regarding the training and development of the workforce in the UK currently register a growing trend in and increasing focus on work related training and skill development ('Lifelong Learning for Life Changing Work'). Initiatives of workforce training and skill development such as those spearheaded by the Scottish Social Services Council, e.g. Training for Work, New Deal, Skillseekers etc. register that the genre of learning offered to the common man in the United Kingdom is not generative but adaptive. These efforts prove that there is a growing awareness in UK based organizations and the Government itself regarding the need for learning organizations. It also proves that efforts are underway to adapt to the changing and perpetually transitional trends in the corporate world. However, Farago & Skyrme (1995) recognize that a learning organization is not about 'more training' and that while training is helpful for the development of certain kinds of skills, the levels of learning, knowledge and skills required to make up a learning organization are much higher then can be reached by training. Conclusion While Smith (2001a) concludes his debate on the possibility and benefits of achieving the theoretical learning organization in reality by acknowledging that the theory may well be forgotten after having had its 'fifteen minutes of fame', he also expresses positive expectations from it saying that 'there does seem to be life in the notion yet' for organizations which seek sustainability through development and growth. A number of studies portray highly positive indications regarding the feasibility of achieving the learning organizations; one such study being that of Dymock & McCarthy (2006) who recognize that while there exists the opinion of people who do not regard the concept of the learning organization with any fervour, their study finds major support for the culture and theory of the learning organization. There are many strategists and theorists such as Smith (2001a), Senge (1990a), Dymock & McCarthy (2006) who see light at the end of the tunnel for the learning organization. However, the applicability of the theory to the organizations of today is dependant on factors external to the mere desire of achieving such an objective. For instance, Saru (2007) after conducting a study on organizational learning and human resource development in small medium enterprises brings to light the tendency of organizational learning to be 'routine-based, history-dependent and target-oriented'. Further, she argues that organizational learning and Human Resource Development are suitable for small organizations if they are properly adapted to fit the situation and culture of the company. This clearly rules out the notion of the learning organization for small outfits whose objective to make profits outweighs their interest in becoming a learning organization. It is therefore the conclusion of this paper that while the concept of the learning organization is appealing for the achievement of sustainable growth for an organization, the resources required to justify embarking on the quest for the achievement of such an advantage are numerous and it falls out of the boundaries imposed by limitations of resource for many organizations to make such an attempt. The opinion of theorists presented earlier in this paper that the learning organization concept is too idealistic in nature to be achieved in reality is justified in this context of limitations of resources. Bibliography Argyris, C & Schon, D 1978, Organizational Learning: A Theory Of Action Perspectiv,. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. DeGeus, AP 1988, 'Planning As Learning', Harvard Business Review, vol. 66, no. 2, pp.70-74. Dymock, D & McCarthy, C 2006, 'Towards A Learning Organization Employee Perceptions', The Learning Organisation, vol. 13, no.5, pp.525-36. 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