How Can a Company Become a Learning Organization - Essay Example

Human Resource Development Introduction People’s career concept has undergone tremendous changes for the past few decades. Subsequently, the conceptual changes have also altered HRD functions in modern organizations. According to the traditional notion, career is the hierarchical prestige in which individuals moved in an ordered sequence (Wilensky). This paper tends to evaluate how the changes in career concept have altered the functions of HRD in modern organizations. It will also examine if organizations can really become learning organizations by relying on e-learning as their major tactics. Impacts on HRD To begin with, the old career concept was more organizational bound in which individuals decision were of little importance; whereas the significant feature of the new career concept is the integration of personal and professional life (Redman & Wilkinson, 2009). According to the Protean Career Concept, individuals develop their own career, depending on their own choices and skills. Since the new concept is rather cyclic in nature, it has considerable influence on HRD. The major impact of this change is that organizations today tend to follow psychological approach in their strategic HRD. For instance, they focus on internal labor market, promotion, training, competition, and technical know-how. This approach also includes teamwork, stress management, counseling, workshop, education, self development, learning activities etc. Job mobility is one of the notable impacts of new career developments. The changes would give way to individuals’ technical competence, creativity, managerial skills, security, and autonomy (Scheins’, 1993). Unlike traditional concept, the new HRD functions have become the exploration of individual potentiality. Therefore, organizations have left out their linear structure to align their full-fledged workforce to meet the proposed goals. The concept of leadership has been altered to integrated teamwork and information sharing. Thus human resource management (HRM) today is a broad and collaborated capital concern of modern organizations. Learning Organizations Organizations can become learning organizations provided that they move according to the changes in firm’s technological and environmental trends trough an array of learn-to-learn process. “The ability to learn faster than competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advancement” (Head of Planning Shell). The learning process involves integrating individual, group, and organization learning with business needs. The major objective of learning is to determine a sustainable organizational culture. Learning organization should avoid one-dimensional training and linear approach to learning. Moreover it should promote dialogue and enquiry, collaboration and teamwork, collective vision etc, to be a sustainable learning organization. Marquardt and Reynolds (1994) suggest certain strategies that can be followed in order to be effective in learning process. It includes, transformation of individual and organizational image of learning, knowledge based partners, team learning, change in the role of managers, experiment and risk taking structure, discipline, continuous improvement, eliminating bureaucracy. Learning process should have a clear vision which would focus on life long learning. It should develop a novel outlook to innovations with an intention to establish global identity. Another significant aspect of the learning includes performance evaluation, feedback, and customer relations. Organization must also design a sustainable framework for its learning process. Above all, organization should update its business areas with advanced technology and knowledge. The mostly accepted learning levels are single loop levels, double loop levels, and triple loop levels. a) Single loop levels: Error detection and correction, upgrading norms and assumptions, and unchallenged actions. b) Double loop levels: Reexamine the current strategy and encourage challenging fundamental assumption. c) Triple loop levels: Higher form of learning to learn activity i.e., reviewing and reflecting on previous learning, good leadership for learning. Is management development a panacea? Organizational problems can be resolved if management development is achieved through an effective strategic design that involves modem management concepts and tactics. Traditional mode of management development followed the specific order given below; Inspirational → →→Transformational →→→ Informational The traditional method flaws as it does not provide adequate information at the initial stage of management where actually information is highly required. Therefore, unless the exact problems are identified, they can not be resolved effectively. In contrast, the characteristics of modern organizational management are; Informational →→→ Transformational→→→ Inspirational To illustrate, the elements that help to resolve organizational problems include employees’ competency and proficiency, conceptual understanding and cognitive skills, knowledge management, and information sharing. These aspects lead to overall transformation in the organizational culture. Knowledge and transformation inevitably imbue individuals with motivation and organizational awareness. As Scarborough (1999) states, “knowledge management is any process or practice of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing or using knowledge wherever it resides to enhance learning and performance in organizations” (Scarborough, 1999). Furthermore, this process will enhance internal and external communication and interaction. If an organization’s communication is effective, it can easily meet challenges. However, the management approach toward issues is crucial as it determines the efficacy of solutions. Modern organizations tend to consider problems as means to enhance teamwork and cohesion. In order to meet organizational challenges they develop an intellectual asset management portfolio. Instead of personal management, modern business organizations follow rather broad system of collaborated methods of problem solving and data sharing. In short, to what extent management development can be a solution to organizational problems depends on the strategic approach. E-learning for workplace learning E-learning envisages ‘online access to learning resources anywhere and anytime’ (Holmes & Gardner, 2006). Obviously e-learning is a viable approach to workplace learning. The major outcomes of the approach include administer and monitor feasibility. Electronic media enables easy delivery of learning materials in addition to various packages or new opportunities. The notable facet of e-learning is the network of computers and web-based technology which enable delivery of information, knowledge, and instructions to individuals. The learning process includes training on specific areas with the help of multimedia technologies that improve the quality of learning. Furthermore, this method provides individuals with access to resources and services irrespective of their distance or complexity. E-learning has vital role in the changing business scenario. In order to be competitive, organizations should have immediate access to information on all areas of business operation. Modern business operators depend on the process of e-learning to develop their own potential pool of labor force. In addition, web-based technology has opened new possibilities such as outsourcing, training and data sharing to meet workplace challenges. The method has been proven cost effective and time saving because it avoids manual labor. The visual cognitive impact of digital/electronic media helps organizations to be more creative in their process of employee selection, training, and retention. This process mainly consists of three levels of learning such as- 1) Informative, 2) Interactive, and 3) Multi-dimensional Informative level helps individuals to refresh or extend their knowledge. Interactive levels intend to achieve wider personal development and enhancement of skills; whereas, the third level is the integration of the first two coupled with other process and outcomes. Briefly, e-learning is the most reasonable approach to workplace learning because it enables organizations to achieve their explicit purpose of training. To conclude, changing career concept has caused overall organizational changes with every business irrespective of its size and nature. E-learning can be the sole viable method of organizational learning in the current business scenario. Read More