LESSON 18: THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

I found an article that discusses different points from my previous blog entry.

There are 3 different definitions of learning organization.

Learning organizations [are] organizations where 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 are continually learning to see the whole together. (Senge 1990: 3)

The Learning Company is a vision of what might be possible. It is not brought about simply by training individuals; it can only happen as a result of learning at the whole organization level. A Learning Company is an organization that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself. (Pedler et. al. 1991: 1)

Learning organizations are characterized by total employee involvement in a process of collaboratively conducted, collectively accountable change directed towards shared values or principles. (Watkins and Marsick 1992: 118)

These definitions are all correct but is looked upon at a different approach. Others describe it as a bottom-up approach and some look at the outcomes rather than the processes of learning.

Some problems and issues in this method is that it focuses mainly on the cultural dimension. In order to transform an organization it is necessary to attend to structures and the organization of work as well as the culture and processes. All dimensions should be studied and considered to be able to get the best of the organization. Another is that it favors individual and collective learning processes but does not connect them properly to the organization’s strategic objectives. It remains rather vague because the exact functions of organizational learning need to be more clearly defined.



http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-organization.htm