Learning organization: Way forward

Introduction 

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Human beings intrinsically passionate about learning. An infant learns and explores things naturally. An employee continues learning if the organization has a conducive environment. According to Senge (1990),  “learning organizations are 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 how to learn together”.  

A continuous change is mandatory to maintain competitiveness. Stimuli to change comes from rivals, change in consumer behavior and the advancement of technology. Organizations that pose and utilize the talent of employees for change and innovation run the forefront. The learning culture of the organization enables the creation of a pool of employees with advanced skills, motivation and high morale. Organizations need to embrace and master the following five disciplines to become a learning organization, namely system thinking, personal mastery, mental model, shared vision and team building, (Garvin, n.d.). 

Features of a learning organization

One of the significant feature is the availability of shared vision, (Blackwood, 2014), which shall be nurtured by the top management. Ideas are formulated and implemented in all levels rather than a top-down model. Each employee takes the responsibility of the task they are engaged in but have a clear understanding of how those affect others jobs and the interdependencies. Learning organization uses collaborative learning and take diverse viewpoint into account when conflicts are resolved. 

How to build a learning organization? 

Strategies listed below can be adapted to build a learning organization, (Blackwood, 2014). 

1. Start by analyzing the current state of the organization to decide where to go from here, the formation of a shared vision. This analysis can also include the state of the organizational learning, its requirements and the gaps. 
2. Include the learning and development in to the strategy of the organization. Make it the culture of the organization starting from the top level and include every person into it. 
3. Promote sharing of knowledge, experience and skills among employees and use them to achieve the strategic goals. 
4. Give adequate time for employees to gain knowledge and skills through formal and informal learning. 
5. Use the employees’ knowledge for innovation. Develop an organizational culture to analyze failures and learn from them to do better in the future.
6. Debriefed projects, celebrate success and recognize the team as well as the individuals.  

In conclusion, an organization with a learning culture have more concern about the abilities of its employees. Creation of a learning organization is more than restructuring. It starts from the vision through the development of individuals and teams to achieve success, debriefs it and consolidation of the change. 

References 

1. Blackwood K., 2014. Benefits of Creating an Organizational Learning Culture. [Online] Available at: https://biv.com/article/2014/09/benefits-creating-organizational-learning-culture[Accessed 27 May 2019].
2. Garvin D. A., n.d. Building a Learning Organization. [Online] Available at: https://hbr.org/1993/07/building-a-learning-organization [Accessed 27 May 2019].
3. Senge P.M., 1990. How our actions create our reality and how can we change it. In: The fifth discipline. s.l.: Doubleday, p. 8.