Organizational Learning

Introduction

The business environment today is no longer just corporate but global. Businesses both local and multinational are being forced (by globalization and changes in technologies) to broaden their learning agenda to address the full range of challenges to meet and exceed the expectations for a sustainable global village. Learning is garnering new or modifying existing knowledge, skills, behaviours or values and it is more of a process because it is contextual and builds upon and is shaped by what we already know. Learning as a process involves the change in organizational behaviour as a result of new knowledge or experience.

Peter Sange (1994) described organizational learning as being focused on the practice of five principles which will not only create a desired future for the organization, but give it the edge it needs to survive it today’s fast growing and highly competitive work environment. These five principles are mentioned below:

1. Systems thinking: organizations should endeavor to view the business environment as a ‘whole system’ which has parts and focus on building relationships with these parts to promote concord with the system rather than working against it. This helps the organization create long-term solutions to challenges.

2. Team learning: organizations should encourage team leaning to enhance the feeling of synergy and productiveness. Team learning impacts positively on individuals as their knowledge bases are broadened and a certain bond is built which creates a more conducive work environment through mutual respect. This is geared towards achieving organizational objectives, collectively.

3. Shared vision: there is a need for every part of a system to understand the reason for its existence. O...

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Child, J. Organisation: Contemporary Principles and Practice (2005), Blackwell Publishing

Website

http://systems-thinkers.org/index.php/resources/resource/reviews/the_fifth_discipline_fieldbook_strategies_and_tools_for_building_a_learning

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