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essays on organizational change management
what is the difference between a learning organization and a traditional organization
what is the difference between a learning organization and a traditional organization
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1.0 What is a Learning Organization?
1.1 Definition of a Learning Organization
Just what makes a learning organization? In this sense the learning organization is an ideal, ‘towards which organizations have to evolve in order to be able to respond to the various pressures they face . It clearly portrays that it is essential to learn individually as well as in a collective manner.
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.
Successful organizations embrace change and development as the most important factor in the success of the organization. Without learning there is no improvement and without improvement organizations will be stagnate. Therefore learning is important for an organization to remain competitive .
However, it is difficult to see how a learning organization can be based on and derive from individual learning. An organization should take on board the ‘shared vision’. ‘Shared vision is vital for the learning organization because it provides the focus and energy for learning’ .
With this, a learning theory should be implemented based on employees’ attempts to cope with everyday problems that they encounter in their organizations.
1.2 Characteristics of a Learning Organization
A learning organization does not come on its own but instead comprises of several characteristics that defines it.
Contemporary descriptions of the "learning organization" have appeared throughout the management of literature. These descriptions portray learning organizations as capable of adapting to changes in the external business environment by practicing continuous renewal of their structures and practices. Many accounts of learning organizations suggest that the path to becoming a learning organization is often wildly experimental, intensely focused around team processes, structured into nonhierarchical clusters, and operating in virtual time/space through electronic networks.
The table below shows the positive results accruing to individuals and the organization or culture as a whole when they are present.
The first two characteristics are individual whereas the last three are group-based. The characteristics listed are general qualities that exist within a learning culture.
However, there are concrete cognitive and behavioural tools, as well as specific types of social interaction and structural conditions, that improve the chances that these qualities are achieved and sustained over time. These are the "best practices”.
While not an exhaustive list, the ones listed in the table fall under four main categories:
.... “The set of deep beliefs and assumptions-the story-that develops over time in a learning organization is so different from the traditional hierarchical, authoritarian organization worldview that it seems to describe a completely different world” (Senge, 1994, p. 21).
Organization development is a (1) planned, (2) organization-wide and (3) managed from the top effort, (4) to improve organization effectiveness through (5) planned interventions in organizations’ processes using behavioral sciences (Beckhard, 1969).
These disiplies are important in establishing a learning organization because in a growing environment, it is important to provide “creative thought process” feel. Concepts, ideas, and solutions should be discussed and available to everyone. Learning organizations set us free. Employees are allowed to express their ideas and challenges which contribute to a more efficient work environment. A learning work environment that incorporates these 5 disciplines can create the desired results where people and the organization will be equally
Senge, P. M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday.
Senge describes five disciplines that are necessary for a learning organization. "Learning organization" is a catchphrase covering the ideal of an organization built on vision, teamwork, openness, flexibility, ability to act under changing conditions, and so forth and so on. It is an organization where people don't just promote their limited region and privileges, but where they take risks and responsibilities for their shared future, working on creating maximum synergy and maximum ability to deal with the whole state of affairs.
We live in a digitized society; organization requires leaders to leverage employee inputs, open-communication, change initiatives, and creativity as their most valuable asset. Learning organizations embraced these qualities in contrast to traditional organizations. A learning organization encourages team collaboration, and the group believes that doing what is right for the business and its people would increase satisfaction in the workplace. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the relationships and differences between two dominant organizations; learning organizations, and traditional organizations. This paper will illustrate that the two organizations have several common areas that leaders can use to apply highly
Solberg, J. (2011). Becoming learning common partners: Working toward a shared vision and practice. Journal of Organization Transformation and Social Change, 8 (3), 243-260. http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jots.8.3.243_1
Senge, P.N. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organisation London: Century Business
Senge, P.M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: the Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday.
Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and Practice of the learning organization (1st ed., Rev.). New York, NY: Doubleday.
Life-long learning is always a key message we deliver to our staff who strive for professional excellence and success, and it is exactly the same cornerstone which has driven sustained business growth of our firm. BDO cultivates a continuous learning culture and provides a solid learning and development platform for our staff, and our staff proactively grasp every learning and developmental opportunity to excel themselves in the firm. All in all, the concerted developmental effort between the staff and the firm has successfully shaped the present BDO.
The learning organization is the opposite of the traditional organization. It believes that there is always a better way to do things, it listens to those who work within the company, utilizes a systems approach, is orientated towards people and ideas, prevents problems, quality and customer-service is essential, and accountability to the team is essential (Anderson, 2003). The lear...
A learning organization is an organization that is constantly learning and transforming. Whole organization, work teams and members are the starting point of the study. Learning is a continuous and strategic process, combined with the work. Learning will lead to changes in knowledge, beliefs and behavior. Then strengthen the ability of the organization's innovation and growth in order to face complicated external environment and maintain competitiveness.
Organization is formed by a group of people who work together. No matter the organization is a profit making ones or non-profit making ones, its formations are to achieve a common purpose or variety of goals, which are the desired future outcomes. The outcomes might be producing a series of product or serving a group of target customers or satisfying others¡¦ needs.
Besides, as stated in the book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge (1990) defines a learning organization as an organization where individuals constantly grow their ability to produce the results they genuinely seek in their life. He also mentioned that in a learning organization, new and broader mindset is cultivated, collective aspirations set free and the organization is continually discovering how to learn to create their own future.