1. Building a learning Organization

2. Contents Introduction Learning Organization
Nature of Learning organizations
Skills needed by a learning organization
Three Phases of learning
Learning implies unlearning
Adaptive and Generative Learning
Building a learning organization

3. Learning Theory
“Learning is the process by which a person constructs knowledge, skills and capabilities” -Martyn Sloman
Learning is relatively permanent change process and always refers to some systematic change in behavior.

4. COMPONENTS OF LEARNING
Business relevant Learning
Learning
effectiveness
measurement
Strategic learning planning

5. LEARNING PROCESS Learning Process Acquisition Application
Personalization
Actualization

6. Learning organization
Improvements depends on learning.
In the absence of learning, individuals and organizations can only repeat old practices.
Rapid technologies change and exponential growth in knowledge requires the individuals continue to learn at a fast pace.
An organization benefits from the increasing expertise and skills of its individual members.

7. Cont…
Organizational learning and knowledge is shared by its members who must act together in shared organizational endeavor.
Learning and knowledge that are not shared, cannot contribute to effective collective action towards enhancing organizational performance.
Organizations whose members commonly and continuously acquire, learn, share, store, distribute and use knowledge for their effective collective action are definable as learning organizations.

8. Nature of learning organization
Learning enterprises are places:
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.
Where people are continually learning how to learn together.
In a learning enterprise, activities and operations are oriented towards the creation, collection and use of knowledge.
A learning organization is a holistic system that integrates problem solving, internal knowledge, innovation, experimentation and external information.
A learning organization are not effective only at creating and/or acquiring new knowledge but also in applying that knowledge to their tasks and activities.
Rapid realization of new technology into products is a core competency of a learning enterprise.

9. Base of organizational learning
Problem-Solving
Integration of Internal Knowledge
Development of Technology
Innovation and Experimentation
Monitoring of environment and
Integration of external flows of information

10. Learning disciplines Personal Mastery
Analyzing one’s mental models and envisioning alternative ways of thinking about the world.
Building a shared vision.
Learning as a team.
Thinking systematically.

11. Skills needed by learning organization
System Problem Solving
Experimentation with new approaches
Learning from own experiences and past history
Learning from the experiences and best practices of others
Transferring knowledge quickly and effectively through-out the organization.

12. Systematic problem solving
Generating ideas and collecting information
Reaching consensus
Analyzing and displaying data
Planning actions

13. Experimentation with new ideas
This activity essentially involves the systematic searching for and testing for a new knowledge through use of scientific method.
It is usually motivated by opportunities and expanding solutions.
Experimentation and problem solving foster learning by upgrading knowledge from a lower to a higher stage.

14. Learning from own experience
This implies that companies review their success and failures.
Assess them systematically and record the lessons in the form that employees find open and accessible.
It requires a mind set that enables companies to recognize the value of productive failure as contrast with unproductive success.

15. Learning from the experiences and best practices of others
This involves bench marking among other things.
Benchmarking refers to investigating and learning from the best industry practices after careful study of one’s own practices and performance.
Learning enterprises have to actively learn from others in the unceasing search for excellence.

16. Transferring knowledge quickly and effectively through-out the organization.
Knowledge and ideas have maximum impact when they are shared broadly.
Transferring knowledge is best done through teaching the behavior needed and creating opportunities for actively experiencing things.

17. Three phases of learning
The first phase in cognitive.
The second phase is behavioral.
The third phase relates to performance improvement with changes in behavior.
For becoming a learning organization, a company must however, know the concrete changes required in behavior and policies that must be in place.
In the context of building a learning organization, it is however, important to note that knowledge is more than just knowing something.

18. Cont… Know-how: Procedures that get things done
Know-who: Key resources to call upon
Know-what: The ability to discern key pattern based on knowledge
Know-why: Understanding the larger context, the casual framework
Know-where: Where things can and should happen.
Know-when: A sense of rhythm, timing and realism.

19. Deeper loops of learning
Learning may be of two styles:
Single loop
Double loop
Single Loop learning occurs as organization compares their performance to a set of pre-established standards and try to make appropriate adjustments.
Double loop learning requires the enterprise to periodically reassess their valuation standards and premises themselves.
Such as assessment is relevant for ensuring that the premises remain valid.

20. Adaptive learning
Adaptive learning is concerned with adapting to environmental changes and improving the organization’s capacity to achieve known objectives in a reactive manner.
It does not involve any examination of or significant change in the organization basic assumptions.

21. Generative learning
Generating learning goes beyond just adopting to change in a reactive mode.
It involves creativity and innovation, anticipation of change and staying ahead of competition and change in a proactive mode.
Generative learning involves creative reframing of an organization’s problem and experiences.
It involves openness and flexibility of mind and a willingness to take manageable risks.

22. Learning implies unlearning
Organization Learning involves unlearning as indicates below:
It involves unlearning old views, old rules, old ideas, and old standards.
It requires organizations to open up their unstated assumptions about themselves and their business environments.
It requires their managers to unlearn their old practices that have outlived their purpose and rationale.
It requires their managers to discard obsolete assumptions and experiences that may have worked in the past.

23. Building a learning organization
Building a learning organization requires consistent and ongoing change management and communication strategies before, during and after implementation.
Transforming an organization into “Laboratory for Learning” is a process of gradual and cumulative development.
There are three initial steps to be followed:
Open and Supportive Environment
Simulating the exchange of ideas
Creating Learning Forums

24. Key Components of building learning organization
Conducting an organizational assessment
Creating a Strategic Plan
Documenting Knowledge through job audits or other collection methods.
Designing standard operating procedures and work instructions to make work portable.
Aligning performance and training initiatives so that each worker can improve skills and knowledge
Implementing supportive technology
Continuously evaluating progress toward strategic objectives.

25. Knowledge Management Systems
In order to graduate towards becoming learning organizations, firms have to institute an appropriate system for managing their knowledge resource.
A KMS meeting the following objectives:
Organization understands what knowledge it has, needs and should seek.
Available internal repository of knowledge is easily and quickly available.
New knowledge is rapidly made available.
Knowledge needed can be generated and obtained as and when needed.
Controls are developed to embed the resources.
Organizational knowledge is tested, validated and updated regularly.
The management of knowledge is supported and facilitated by the organization’s culture.