Personal Development and Careers - Essay Example

?In order to operate viably, there is need for managers in organisations to promote learning so as to continually generate knowledge which can enablethe employees to keep pace with the changes that may take place in the environment in which the organisations operate. As such, this essay mainly seeks to critically evaluate three important aspects that affect the operations of any organisation. It starts by outlining the significance of learning in the organisation in relation to the theory of learning. It also seeks to outline the importance of changing employee attitude by the managers and the barriers that are likely to be encountered. The last part focuses on barriers to communication and strategies that can be implemented to overcome them. 1. “Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge through experience which leads to an enduring change in behaviour,” (Hucznski & Buchanan, 2010). It can be noted that organisations operate in a dynamic environment which is ever changing hence learning in an organisation is a very important strategy that ought to be implemented in order to overcome the challenges that are often brought about by change. Against this background, this essay seeks to explain this assertion in relation to learning theories. The paper will also outline different elements of learning and how they impact on individuals as well as the organisation as a whole. Basically, the concept of learning was popularized by Peter Senge (1990) who described it as, “the process whereby 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 continually learn how to learn together through the exchange of ideas,” (Robbins, 2003). In view of this definition, it can be noted that exchange of information as well as creation of new ideas are basic tenets of learning whereby the performance of individuals can be improved in order to meet the expectations of the organisation. The main idea of learning is to change the behaviour of the individuals through practice and experience and this is advantageous in that it gives the organisation a competitive advantage given that its employees will be better positioned to keep pace with the changes that can take place in the environment in which the organisation is operating. The ability of the organisation to grow mainly depends on the ability of the employees to generate new ideas which can be developed into feasible strategies that can be implemented in the operations of the organisation. There are mainly two theories of learning namely the behavioural and cognitive theories. Behavioural theory suggests that human behaviour in relation to learning can be explained in terms of external stimuli, responses, learned histories and reinforcement which mean that all human behaviour could therefore be understood in terms of cause and effect (Torrington, Hall & Taylor, 2008). On the other hand, cognitive theory posits to the effect that learning is influenced by mental structures. According to Vygotsky (1978), aspects such as problem solving are influenced by an integration of personal traits such as motivation, cognitive strategies as well as the learner’s ambition to acquire new knowledge in a related subject. In most cases, an individual person is aware of the reason why he or she is learning hence there is need to positively influence this process for a positive result. Both theories are applicable to learning especially in organisations where it can be noted that people learn through socialisation whereby they interact with their workmates in a bid to exchange ideas and knowledge which is the foundation of learning. There is a close relationship between these two concepts given that they emphasise on the need to transform the organisation for positive growth through changing the behaviour of the employees through the knowledge they will gain from the learning process. The learner will be exposed to a system that will enable him to gain knowledge that is useful in execution of a particular task. In most cases, the learner is aware of the reason why he is learning hence these two perspectives to learning suggest that there are likely chances of positively influencing the behaviour of the individuals for the betterment of the organisation. It can also be seen that the external stimulant to learning is that the learner is made aware of the existence of benefits that are likely to be gained from learning (Vygotsky, 1978). Once the learner is aware of the benefits of learning, he is likely to effectively use his or her own mind to generate new ideas that can contribute to the cause of learning. In theory, it can be argued that human behaviour in relation to learning is to a larger extent influenced by both external and mental factors which work in conjunction to produce positive results to the learner. Learning is also designed in such a way whereby the learner will get assistance from a leader in cases of organisations or a tutor if it is a classroom environment. This is regarded as scaffolding where coaches and mentors help the employees to accomplish tasks they may not be able to complete on their own (Vygotsky, 1978). The process of learning is carefully designed to stimulate the behaviour of the individuals in such a way that they will meet the expected goals of the organisation. If the individuals are aware of the benefits they can get from learning, they are likely to change their behaviour towards the achievement of the new knowledge that will be useful in completing different tasks. Learners need to be motivated to put more effort in their quest to gain more knowledge. Learning is mainly influenced by the need to improve the current body of knowledge possessed by the individual. Innovation and creativity are also essential in the learning process of the individual which is meant to create positive change towards something (Vygotsky, 1978). The ability of the organisation as well as the individuals to grow is dependent on learning which promotes the creation of new ideas and knowledge. As noted above, a combination of external as well as mental factors greatly contribute to the individuals’ ability to learn given that he or she will be aware of the benefits of acquiring new knowledge. Learning can transform the operations of the organisation which can lead to growth. 2. An attitude can be defined “as the degree of positive or negative feeling a person has towards a particular object, place, thing, situation or the other person.” (Swanepoel, 1998). This has a bearing on the way that person will behave towards something hence there is need for the managers to change the attitudes for the employees. There is need for the managers to change the employees’ attitude for mainly two reasons that are going to be discussed below. Firstly, knowing to which aspects of a job employees respond either favorably or unfavorably can provide a basis for job design decisions (Swanepoel, 1998). Where possible, the managers need to reinforce the positive features among the employees while at the same time striving to remove negative factors as these can be counterproductive. The second aspect is that the employees’ attitude is important to the mangers for philosophical reasons (Swanepoel, 1998). During the contemporary period, it can be noted that it is not sufficient simply to provide the employees with work alone given that the work forms a central part of life whereby they are expected to provide meaningful and satisfying work to the organisation. During that process, the managers will be better positioned to create a sense of belonging to the organisation among the employees. This will also lead to job satisfaction which can positively contribute towards the organisation’s productivity. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs are likely to perform better than those who are not satisfied with their work. Since most people want to feel good about their lives, and since most of their time is spent at work, job satisfaction must always considered by the managers as very important given that it significantly contribute towards the organisational goals such as productivity. Organisational commitment is another factor that leads the managers to attempt to change the attitude of the employees. This is also related to job satisfaction though it is loosely referred to as the degree to which the employees will have the freedom to identify themselves with the organisation (Kleynhans, 2007). Negative aspects such as turnover and absenteeism are minimized if the employees are committed to their work which is an advantage to the organisation. Productivity will be increased and this can positively contribute towards the growth of the organisation. It is therefore important to positively change the attitude of the employees for the betterment of the employees and organisation as whole. Besides increasing productivity, a person who is committed to his or her work is motivated to keep on improving performance in order to meet the standard expectations of the organisations. Of notable concern is that attitudes are learned over time to suit the pattern of beliefs held by different people towards something (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). However, one major barrier that is likely to be encountered during the process of attempting to change the attitude of the employees is that attitudes are difficult to change given that they fit into a pattern and to change one attitude may require difficult adjustments in many others (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). It is not an easy task to change the attitude of the employees given that it is learned over a period of time and is entrenched in their belief system. Attitudes are acquired over a period of time hence it may not be very easy to change them easily. Though it may be difficult to change the attitude of the employees, a viable approach that can be taken by the manager is that of the coaching style. Basically, in coaching experienced managers guide the actions of less experienced managers and employees to help develop their delivery within the organisation (Swanepoel, 1998). The main advantage of this approach is that it provides immediate feedback on performance. There is a two way communication channel which allows the mangers and the employees to freely interact which is healthy for the growth and development of the employees. Through coaching, managers can impart new knowledge to the employees which is helpful in changing their attitude and behaviour towards their work. Learning is an important aspect of employee development and this can contribute to their change in attitude towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. Sharing ideas and knowledge is a basic tenet of learning hence there will be more chances of changing the attitude of the employees if they share the same understanding within the organisation. Another approach that can be used by the managers to overcome these barriers is motivation. According to Werner (2003), motivation is the enthusiasm people have for their work and this drives them to improve their performance. Motivation in this particular case should not only be limited to financial gains but should extend to other important aspects such as employee involvement in the decision making process of the organisation. Basically, decisions made in the organisation affect the operations of all facets of the organisation hence there are likely chances that the employees will be motivated if they contribute towards the decision making process given that they will develop a sense of belonging to it. If the employees are treated as valuable assets to the organisation, they will also positively respond by putting optimum performance in their tasks given that they will be aware of the fact that they are important to the organisation as a whole. Managers can also motivate the employees through giving them the autonomy to solve the problems they may encounter in their operations. If the employees are given the power to make decisions, their attitude are likely to change to fit the set organisational goals and objectives given that they will share the same vision for the organisation with the management. Given such a scenario, there will be common understanding among all members of the organisation whereby they will meaningfully contribute towards the attainment of the set goals. 3. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that no organisation can function properly without a good system of communication (Kritzinger, Bowler & Goliath, 2003). Communication is used to solve problems give instructions, resolve conflicts motivate employees among others. However, there are various barriers to communication in the organisations and these often hamper the efforts to communicate effectively among the members of that particular organisation. The nonverbal behaviour of people of varying cultures and backgrounds is often misunderstood. Physical factors such as time and environment are also seen as barriers to communication as well as the way people view themselves. As such this section of the essay seeks to critically evaluate these barriers to communication and how the managers can overcome them. Basically, communication can be described as a two way process whereby information (message) is sent from one person (sender) through a channel to the other person (receiver) who in turn reacts by providing feedback (Kritzinger, Bowler & Goliath, 2003). However, there are certain barriers especially in an organisation to communication. Physical barriers such as time and environment can have an impact on the way people in an organisation communicate. If there is no channel of communication between two people in different offices, the wall between them will act as a barrier to communication. This can affect the flow of information and the parties involved may not be able to understand each other. On the other hand, elements of time and comfort can also act as barriers to communication given that someone in the comfort of his office may not be able to communicate with an employee in the factory shop as a result of the distance between them. In order to overcome these barriers, there will be need to put extension phones that can link all the departments within the organisation such that it becomes easier for the mangers to communicate with all the employees when the needs arises. In some cases, there will be need for the managers to physically talk to the employees so that there will be feedback which is very important in as far as communication in the organisation is concerned. Physical barriers to communication can also be overcome through the use of new information and communication technology such as the internet or cell phones to connect different people from different places. Regardless of time or distance communication of this nature is instantaneous and is not affected by any physical barrier. Cultural factors are also viewed as barriers to communication in some cases. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2004), cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect the society’s basic values, perceptions preferences and behaviours. Different people grow up in different societies that shape their basic beliefs and values and they absorb a worldview that defines their relationship with others. In an organisation there are people from different cultural and social backgrounds and the way they perceive different social aspects differ. In some cultures, people are compelled to address especially senior people by their title while this is not the case in other cultures. In other religious sects, people are not allowed to perform certain actions and these are all barriers to communication. However, an effective manager can overcome these barriers by adopting an approach which is accommodative to different views of the people. By virtue of coming from different cultural backgrounds, there is need for the manager to take into consideration different cultural values and beliefs such that no one will feel alienated from the other employees as well as the decision makers in the organisation. If someone feels alienated from the other members of the organisation, that person might not be free to express his or her own opinions for fear of being ridiculed hence the manager can overcome this barrier to communication through implementing inclusive policies that are meant to accommodate the ideas of all the employees in the organisation. Another barrier to communication within organisations is the use of non verbal signs. Research has shown that up to 80 % of our communication at work is non verbal and it is important to understand non verbal signs used (Kritzinger, Bowler & Goliath, 2003). In most cases, non verbal communication is often culture specific and is interpreted in different ways by different groups of people. For instance, facial expressions can be used to convey different meanings depending with the situation such as smiling can show that one agrees with the other while frowning can mean that one is not happy about something. However, there are various non verbal signs that are used every day but the problem is that they are often interpreted differently in different cultures. Of paramount importance though is the fact that actions speak louder than words and people are inclined to believe non verbal messages than verbal messages if they are simultaneously used (Kritzinger, Bowler & Goliath, 2003). In order to overcome these barriers, it is important for the mangers to first accept that people hail from different cultural backgrounds. However, this does not mean that other people are less important but there will be need for the mangers to carefully observe the non verbal signs used by different people so as to be better positioned to understand what they mean. The managers also ought to treat all the employees as equal so as to be better positioned to overcome this barrier to communication. Another barrier to communication is the aspect of the way people view themselves. People often vary in emphasis on serving themselves versus serving others (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). Others seek self realization, self expression and it can be noted that materialism has dramatically increased whereby people will be more concerned with material wealth that can satisfy their ego. This shapes the way they perceive others and the way they can communicate with them. Some people may be too bossy to the extent that they would not want to interact with those who hold junior positions. In order to overcome this barrier to communication, the manger should promote equity within the organisation whereby every employee is treated as equal so as to avoid cases whereby people will end up failing to communicate with others. Promoting equity will help remove barriers to communication since everyone will be treated as equal and important to the organisation. Over and above, it can be concluded that learning is very important in the organisation as it helps the employees to gain new ideas and knowledge which vital in the operations of the organisation. It is also important to change the attitude of the employees so that they will be committed to their work which contributes to the productivity and growth of the organisation. Communication in an organisation is very important though there are barriers that are likely to be encountered. As such, managers ought to implement accommodative policies in order to overcome barriers to communication. References Armstrong, M 2006, Human Resources Management Practice, 7th Edition, Kogan Page Limited: NY. Eloff, I & Ebersohn, L 2004, Keys To Educational Psychology, UCT, CT. Kleynhans, R 2007, Human Resource Management: fresh perspectives, Prentice Hall: CT. Kotler, P & Armstrong G 2004, Principles of Marketing, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River: NJ. 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