1. THE LEARNING ORGANISATION

2. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION DEFINITIONS CHARACTERISTICS & RELEVANCE
BUILDING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

3. “ WHEN THE RATE OF CHANGE OUTSIDE EXCEEDS THE RATE OF CHANGE INSIDE, THE END IS IN SIGHT.”
-JACK WELCH

4. INTRODUCTION LEARNING:
Any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience.
LEARNING ORGANISATION:
An organization that has developed the continuous capacity to adapt and change.

5. DEFINITIONS
“ A Learning Company is an organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself. ”
-PEDLER, 1991

6. “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 learn together.”
- PETER SENGE

7. LEARNING ORGANIZATION

8. CHARACTERISTICS Characteristic Definition Associated Best Practices
Positive By-products
Self mastery- individual
The ability to honestly and openly see reality as it exists
1.Sharing experiences
2.More interaction time between supervisory levels
3.Emphasis on feedback
1.Greater commitment 2.Ability to face limitations
3.Ability to deal with change

9. Mental models - individual
The ability to compare reality with perceptions; reconciling both into a coherent understanding
1.Time for learning 2.Forgiveness 3.Flexibility
1.Less avoidance of difficult situations
Shared vision - group
The ability of a group of individuals to hold a shared picture of a mutually desirable future
1.Trust 2.Empathy
3.Co-operation 4.A common language
1.Faster change
2.More effective communication flows

10. Team learning - group
The ability of a group of individuals to suspend personal assumptions about each other and engage in "dialogue“.
1.Consensus building 2.Top-down and bottom-up communication flows
1.Group self-awareness
2.Heightened collective learning
3.Enhanced creativity
Systems thinking - group
The ability to see interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect
1.Practicing self mastery 2.Possessing consistent mental models 3.Possessing a shared vision 4.Emphasis on team learning
1.Long-term improvement 2.Decreased organizational conflict
3.Continuous learning among group members

11. IMPLEMENTATION OF LEARNING ORGANIZATION
MECHANICAL SYSTEM NATURAL SYSTEM PARADIGM PARADIGM
VERTICAL
STRUCTURE HORIZONTAL
STRUCTURE
ROUTINE RIGID CULTURE
TASKS EMPOWERED ADAPTIVE
ROLES CULTURE
FORMAL COMPETITIVE STRATEGY SHARED COLLABORATIVE
SYSTEM INFORMATION STRATEGY

12. BUILDING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION
Learning organization seems to fall naturally into three categories:
I. The application of the academic theory systematic learning to business. The key factors which are aimed at enhancing an organization’s creative capability are:
a) Team Learning
b) Building a Shared Vision
c) Mental Models
d) System thinking
e) Personal Mastery

13. II. The presentation of definitions followed by perspective ,practical solutions:
a) Organizational Intention
b) Autonomy
c) Fluctuation and creative chaos
d) Redundancy
e) Requisite variety

14. III. The work of practitioners who decry a
prescriptive approach but offer guidelines
and practical hints as to how
organizations can develop a bespoke
approach.
A.) Systematic problem solving.
B.) Experimentation