Building a Learning Organization

The 21st century is characterized by increased competition between organizations. This has been occasioned by various technological developments and increased internet penetration and adoption, factors that turned the world as a ‘global village.’ With this shift, the mode of operation of organizations has been altered significantly. One notable aspect in this regard is the perception of learning. Currently, for organizations to thrive and remain relevant, they have to keep learning ( Serrat, 2017; Wang, 2008 ). In particular, organizations are not only expected to learn faster, but also have to find better ways of going about it. Organizations have often responded to this demand in an ad hoc way. This is by applying easy and quick fixes anchored on technology. This approach has had little impact, more time than not, because it comes off as a short-term attempt at advancing organizational change. This calls for a more comprehensive approach to promoting organizational competitiveness and relevance. At the core of this is the need for organizations to mainstream learning in a more holistically way ( Serrat, 2017 ). Nevertheless, organizational learning can neither be sustainable nor possible without a comprehensive understanding of what it entails. This paper seeks to explore organizational learning, particularly in the context of crisis management.

Understanding a Learning Organization

The Genesis

Conventionally, business entities were geared towards providing goods and services for the sake of making a profit. However, this narrative has changed tremendously in recent decades. While the provision of goods and services remain important aspects of any business entity, there is a shift towards ensuring that these entities become better at learning. This is anchored on the argument that continuous learning is a prerequisite for developing products and services and subsequently profit generation ( Serrat, 2017 ). This implies that one key objective of businesses in the 21st century is learning. Organizations wishing to survive in the global marketplace have to make learning equal to if not bigger than other aspects of their operations. Further, the emergence of learning organizations is occasioned by various elements that are critical to the survival of any forward-looking organization. These include the need to re-engineer, restructure, and reorganize; inadequate skillsets that are required by the twenty-first marketplace; intensified growth and change in knowledge; and increasing global competition. Other elements include unprecedented breakthroughs in advanced and new technologies, and the growing need for organizations to continuously adapt to change.

There are four key areas that have changed considerably in recent decades, subsequently elevating the importance of learning organizations. These include the social, scientific, and economic environment; workplace environment; customer expectations; and workers ( Serrat, 2017 ). With regard to the social, scientific and economic environment, organizations are currently operating in an environment that is characterized by globalization, as well as marketing and economic competition. Likewise, due to harmful anthropogenic activities, the world is faced with numerous environmental pressures. On the other hand, there has been the emergence of breakthroughs in various sectors ushering the knowledge era. The latter is based on the narrative that the knowledge that is present in any organization is a summation of everything that all individuals in an organization know from which the entity derives its competitive edge ( Serrat, 2017 ). In this context, an organization’s key challenge is its ability to redistribute the knowledge it abhors. Another issue that organizations have to contend with is social turbulence.

The 21st-century workplace differs significantly from what it traditionally used to be. An important aspect of this difference is the role of information technology. The advent and adoption of various information technologies have led to the emergence of informated organizations. These are organizations with the increased capability of acquiring information for use in getting a job done and generating and developing new information. Organizational size and structure have also undergone tremendous changes. The most important resources for a modern organization is not capital, facilities, or personnel. Rather, the most critical resources are ideas, information, and knowledge ( Serrat, 2017 ). Restructuring of the workplace has also occurred in the context of the emergence of virtual organizations. Organizations in the 21st century operate as temporary networks of independent customers, suppliers, companies and even rivals. These organizations are linked together by information technology, and this facilitates the sharing of costs, skills, and access to existing markets ( Serrat, 2017) . These developments call for the re-engineering of organizational architecture as well as core competencies. At the center of this is the need for quality management. In this regard, the modern enterprise derives competitive advantage from such aspects as incremental and continuous innovation coupled with the refinement of ideas upon which an organization is run. Other aspects that make the modern workplace unique are workplace mobility and diversity and the rise of temporary help.

Organizations have also changed in terms of customer expectations. In this case, customers demand more in terms of service, cost, innovation, quality, customization, and time ( Serrat, 2017; Garvin, 1993 ). The last change in organizations is associated with workers. Specifically, there is a change in the most important skillsets for the 21st-century worker. The most important skills in this regard are those related to problem identification, problem-solving, and strategic decision making. Due to the demands of the global marketplace, success in today's organizations is pegged on the availability of specialized knowledge amongst the employees. The means of production is thus in the hands of knowledge workers. All the above changes form the basis for the emergence of a new group of organizations. These organizations are capable of adapting and anticipating environmental impacts more readily. They also bear the ability to accelerate the development of new processes, products, and services. The organizations are also better placed to learn from both collaborators and competitors, and successfully transfer this knowledge within the organization. This group of organizations is expected to effectively learn from its mistakes; make better use of its workforce; implement strategic changes within a short time; and stimulate and foster continuous improvement. Ultimately, the ability of organizations to learn fast will drive adaptation leading to the achievement of various strategic advantages.

What is a Learning Organization?

The quest for organizations to gain a competitive advantage and better themselves has led to the development of various improvement programs. Despite the importance of such pursuits, little progress has been at the organizational level. This is due to the lack of understanding that commitment to learning is a prerequisite for continuous learning (Garvin, 1993). For an organization to improve, it has to learn something new. It also has to bear a new perspective of the world for it to solve a problem, re-engineer its processes, and introduce new products. Without learning, organizations end up repeating the same practices, which ultimately leads to the same outcomes. Noting the need to change this narrative, various business leaders are continuously recognizing the link between continuous improvement and learning, and are thus refocusing their organizations around this realization. Numerous scholars have also played a leading role in pushing this agenda. Despite these efforts, the understanding of learning organizations still remains wanting.

The existing gaps in the understanding of learning organizations are partly owed to scholars. This is due to their failure to offer clarity on the subject. Sharing the earliest thoughts on learning organizations, Senge (1990) reckons that a learning organization is a place in which individual continuously expand their ability to generate results that are desirable to them. The organization also has to nurture novel and expansive thinking patterns, inspire collective aspiration, and instill the value of learning together amongst the workforce. To achieve these objectives, the author suggested five key elements. These are personal mastery, team learning, systems thinking, shared vision and mental models. The five disciplines help in managing development and success. They also help the workforce in offering their talents and expertise beyond the organization’s expectations.

Creation of a vision in an organization requires the promotion of healthy interactions between employees. This requires leaders to share their personal vision with their employees so as to create a shared vision ( Kerka, 1995; Zeeman, n.d.). The creation of a shared vision also requires that individual and organizational visions are compromised for the sake of the larger good. As a result, the workforce is more motivated, while inter-personal relationships and overall performance are enhanced. With regard to systems thinking, as opposed to paying attention to individual issues, the emphasis is given to the entire system's observational process. In this case, organizational leaders have to be wary of the fact that each action has a unique correlated consequence ( Kerka, 1995; Zeeman, n.d.). By understanding this relationship, the leaders are better placed to see the patterns and interrelationships of change and consequently determine the cause and effect of their actions and decisions.

In terms of mental models, employees within an organization have to identify the company’s values and its business activities. A clear understanding of these aspects aids in visualizing not only the best direction to take but also any necessary further development. However, the organization needs to be more flexible with regard to accepting any changes to the new mental models as well as the company’s new image. This is because the most successful corporations are those with the capacity to not only learn but also adapt to these new models (Serrat, 2017). It is in dealing with this that some companies grow faster compared to others. On the other hand, team learning is an important prerequisite for the accomplishment of excellence in the functioning of team dynamics. Scholars reckon that team learning refers to the discipline via which shared vision and personal mastery are combined (Kerka, 1995). In this regard, an organization’s workforce has to reckon that all colleagues are team members as opposed to rivals. This realization acts as the first step in initializing dialogues through which individuals within an organization can be vulnerable and thus fully express their actual personalities. For this to take place, the working environment has to be safe, and one that fosters forgiveness once honest mistakes have been made. Devoid of this attribute, it is difficult for any learning to be experienced. 

The other vital element in the actualization of a learning organization is personal mastery. This takes place once a person bears a clear vision of his or her goal coupled with the most accurate perception of current reality. It is the gap between reality and vision that drives individual employees in practicing all the activities necessary to actualize this vision (Kerka, 1995; Zeeman, n.d.). Clear knowledge of the current reality is a key element in achieving these dynamics. Therefore, a shared truth is key to fostering a shared vision as well as achieving personal mastery. One of the most vital challenges for organizations in this regard is the employees’ perception that they don’t have the competencies required in achieving their goals. Organizations have to be wary of this, and in particular, its development into a vicious cycle whose removal may be difficult. At the center of self-mastery is the need to train the subconscious mind over its conscious counterpart due to its ability to quickly handle more complex challenges. Specific areas of training include stress management and handling of day-to-day realities. 

Dierkes et al. (2003) argue that knowledge-creating organizations are entities in which invention of new knowledge is not viewed as a specialized activity but rather a way of being and behaving in which all personnel in an organization are knowledge workers. The scholar reckoned that organizations employ organizational redundancy and metaphors to encourage dialogue, focus thinking, and make instinctively understood and tacit ideas more explicit. The ideas presented by various scholars regarding learning organizations have been deemed too abstract and lacking clarity. Likewise, they have not fully answered pertinent questions that are vital to the holistic understanding of learning organizations. These questions include knowledge of achievement of the learning organization status, the required behavior change, the necessary programs and policies, and the roadmap to the actualization of a learning organization. For the effective implementation of a learning organization, a clear understanding of three crucial aspects is needed. These include meaning, management, and measurement (Serrat, 2017). Firstly, there is a need for a clearer, applicable, and actionable understanding of learning organizations. Secondly, there is a need for clear guidelines and operational advice for practice. Lastly, better tools are required for assessment of the level and rate of learning so as to track progress. By addressing and clarifying the three aspects, leaders are better placed to convert their entities into learning organizations. Overall, for learning to be impactful in an organization, it has to be fully understood.

The Subsystems of a Learning Organization

A learning organization should be conceptualized as an organization that is proficient in the creation, acquisition, and transfer of knowledge and modification of behavior so as to reflect new insights and knowledge (Serrat, 2017). Four key subsystems are crucial in the creation of a learning organization. These include people, technology, knowledge, and organization. Each of these subsystems supports its counterparts in the magnification of learning while it permeates across the overall system.

Organization

A learning organization has to value the role of learning in the development of organizational effectiveness. To achieve this, the organization has to bear an inspirational vision for learning, coupled with a learning strategy that offers support to the organization as it seeks to achieve its vision. The learning organization’s leadership has to be committed to the vital role played by learning. It also has to capable of clearly communicating that for organizational success, learning is requisite. The leadership also has to recognize the importance of offering the right opportunities, means, and motives for learning (Serrat, 2017). Motive refers to the reason and purpose for learning while the means refers to the methods, competencies, and models required. Lastly, opportunity entails the spaces that are available for learning. It is worth noting that leaders play a crucial leading role in the creation and sustenance of a supportive learning culture. A learning organization's structure takes into account all the possible obstacles to learning with the aim of carefully aligning with the strategy. The structure should also be wary of bureaucracies and unnecessary hierarchy levels that are bound to adversely affect learning.

Proper communication systems have to be put in place so as to facilitate the lateral transfer of knowledge and information across various formal structural boundaries. In geographically spread and decentralized organizations, care should be taken in ensuring that communication is used in encouraging lateral communication so as to overcome the increased possibilities of creating limiting bureaucratic systems. There is also a need to allocate adequate resources for learning purposes. These resources are in the form of qualified support staff, space, time, and finances for the development of learning infrastructure and knowledge management. Resources can also take the form of informal and formal communities of practice, external and internal value networks, and lastly, development and learning programs. For instance, the support given to communities of practice is structurally extended throughout their life cycle. The learning organization also has to leverage and balance both emergent and planned learning so as to generate new innovative practices, generate insights, and stimulate creativity (Serrat, 2017). Planned learned is achieved by carefully developing the plans, systems, procedures, structure, and strategy needed. Planning in a learning organization ought to be based on careful reflection which is achieved by asking probing questions whose basis is data drawn from the review, monitoring, and independent as well as self-evaluation. While emergent learning is important in equal measure, the approach it takes is inherently more opportunistic and speculative. This form of learning is dependent on the encouragement of a passion for knowledge and learning among the workforce, development of learning competencies, creation of informal sharing opportunities, and cultivation of a learning culture that is supportive.

People

The success of a learning organization is anchored on a workforce that is comprised of individuals who are passionate and intellectually curious about doing their work. These persons have to reflect on their experiences; develop theories of change that are experience-based and test them in conjunction with their colleagues; and use their initiative and understanding in contributing to the development of knowledge. The success of learning organizations requires individuals that are reflective practitioners. These are individuals with a clear understanding of limitations and strengths. Likewise, they should have a clear understanding of the different approaches, methods, and tools for learning and managing knowledge either individually or by collaborating with their colleagues (Serrat, 2017). An important point to note is that reflective practice is likely to flourish when individuals have an elevated level of psychological trust and safety. This tends to get undermined when individuals perceive that they have been exposed unfavorably to unfair negative criticism. It may also be undermined when they feel like their colleagues are not reliable. 

A crucial aspect of a genuine learning organization is teamwork. Teams in learning organizations have to operate as communities of learners. In such a community, conflict, debate, and sensitively expressed dissent are encouraged and viewed as positive learning sources. The development of trust and safety upon which positive teamwork and reflective practice are anchored require that careful attention is given to the management of collective and individual performance and relationship building. A learning organization has to give emphasis to the development and retaining its workforce so as to protect and grow its investment in staff members. At the center of the retention and development of the workforce is the need to mainstream recognition and provision of incentives. Also, learning organizations have to ensure that the effort and time spent fostering effective learning and management are recognized as vital activities in the performance and time management systems of an organization (Serrat, 2017). The rewards given to individuals for contributing to knowledge development and learning can either be more or less conventional. The more conventional approaches include increased income, greater formal status, and career advancement while the less formal ones are study leaves, informal peer status, and acknowledgment for individual contributions.

Learning organizations also have to offer a wide variety of opportunities for both collective and individual development and learning. The availability of such programs ensures that teams and individuals are capable of developing competencies that offer collaborative learning and reflective practice. Development and learning systems focus on more formal programs. However, in a learning organization, maximum benefit is leveraged from such learning opportunities as team meetings, task group membership, daily work experiences, and short-term secondments. One important source of development and learning in a learning organization is mentoring and coaching from specialists, managers, and other colleagues who are more experienced (Serrat, 2017). In this regard, high-end mentoring and coaching help in ensuring that reflective practice flourishes. This requires skills whose development cannot be taken for granted at the organizational level. For instance, assuming that if technical specialists and contract managers are good at their work, they automatically make good mentors and coaches should be avoided. Instead, in a learning institution, the development of leadership competencies is encouraged at all levels starting from the top. Overall, leadership is conceptualized as a valuable skill whose basis is the possession of knowledge and expertise and not merely positional status.

Knowledge

In every learning organization, knowledge acts as a vital asset. Owing to the fact that learning is a product of knowledge combined with its source, a learning organization has to recognize the inextricable linkage of the two and thus manage them carefully ( Serrat, 2017 ). Production of knowledge is both collective and individual. Learning organizations have to understand that while the creation of knowledge takes place in individuals' minds, it exists as a rich web of social contact among organizations, groups, and individuals. A learning organization ensures that creative opportunities are provided for the sharing and development of this knowledge with others via access to documentation and interpersonal contact. Therefore, an organization's key knowledge repositories are the delivery and design of its services and products coupled with the procedures, systems, and strategies the organization has developed for decision-making purposes. Learning organizations are expected to know how best to take a learning approach in developing this embedded knowledge. One approach is embracing the infrastructure and systems necessary for knowledge management. 

One crucial aspect of knowledge management is feedback. This refers to the dynamic process via which information is disseminated and presented so as to improve organizational per performance. Increasingly, feedback mechanisms are being recognized as vital elements of learning. Some of the most important sources of knowledge in today’s organizations include information and data that is derived from monitoring systems, and the recommendations, conclusions, and analyses whose genesis is independent and self-evaluations. Learning organizations are expected to devise sophisticated techniques of designing evaluations which take learning in mind ( Garvin, 1993 ). Such approaches as retrospects and after-action reviews have been successfully adopted leading to the generation of lessons whose target is very specific audiences. 

Learning organizations should ensure that they cultivate systems that are aimed at ensuring that the outputs of independent and self-evaluations are availed widely for use in questioning orthodox thinking and triggering innovation and creativity. The most vital changes are collected and then systematically selected and interpreted. Subsequently, peer assists that are based on the documented lessons learned and individuals’ expertise are utilized to make plans for new initiatives with the aim of reducing the chances of repeated and unintended negative consequences. Action learning, on the other hand, is used in handling the more intractable challenges. A learning organization has to acknowledge the importance of having organizational memory that is resilient ( Garvin, 1993 ). These organizations ensure that both teams and individuals are encouraged to employ numerous ways of activating their tacit knowledge and availing it to others via collaborative working practices and targeted documentation. Based on the recognition that organizations often change their direction of inquiry, learning organizations leverage such powers as appreciative inquiry. In order to ensure that an organization's documentation is easily available to others in an organization, numerous information and communication technologies that are user-friendly should be used. Likewise, learning organizations should be well networked with the external world. They ought to focus on the creation and sustenance of partnerships while making mutual collaborative learning arrangements with other organizations.

Technology

In the 21st century, organizations ought to know how to effectively harness the power of information and communication technologies. However, the technologies should not constrain learning and knowledge management. In learning organizations, these technologies are used in strengthening the identity of organizations, building and sustaining learning communities, keeping clients, staff members aware and informed of all corporate developments, creation of helpful and unexpected connections between individual and provision of access to peoples’ ideas and knowledge ( Serrat, 2017 ). Technology is also used in encouraging creativity and innovation; learning and sharing from unintended outcomes and good practices; strengthening, accessing and developing organizational memory; sharing approaches, methods, and tools; celebrating success; identifying the internal sources of expertise; and connecting the particular organization with the external world. Several indicators can be used to indicate whether or not a given organization is taking learning seriously. These include the creative use of such technologies as intranet pages, collaborative workspaces, shared document drives, online networks and communities, online storytelling, online webinars, blogging, staff profile pages, podcasts, and analysis of social networks. A learning organization should also offer sufficient opportunities for staff members to learn how to use available information and communication technologies for learning and knowledge management.

Vital Building Blocks of a Learning Organization

Learning organizations should be skilled in five key activities. These include systematic problem solving; learning from past history and own experience; efficient and quick transfer of knowledge throughout the organization; experimentation using new approaches; and lastly, learning from past practices and experiences of others ( Garvin, 1993 ). Each of the five activities should be backed with a unique tool kit, pattern of behavior, and mindset. Through the creation of processes and systems that support and integrate these activities into their day-to-day operations, organizations are better placed to manage learning in a more effective way. 

S ystematic problem solving is dependent on the methods and philosophy of quality movement. To achieve systematic problem solving, learning organizations have to rely on various scientific methods as opposed to guesswork in diagnosing problems. Secondly, as opposed to using assumptions, these organizations have to rely on data as the basis for decision making. Lastly, the organization of data and inference drawing should be anchored on simple statistical tools. Often, most training programs focus on the use of practical examples, exercises, and problem-solving techniques (Garvin, 1993). Apart from being easily communicated, these tools are highly straight-forward. Nevertheless, establishing the right mindset is not easy. The other two essential elements of learning are precision and accuracy. Thus, besides being attentive to details, employees ought to be more disciplined in terms of thinking. For instance, they have to question the truth behind their approach to learning continuously. Likewise, they are expected to push beyond the obvious so as to carry out an assessment of the underlying causes in which case they have to collect adequate evidence.

Experimentation entails the systematic testing of and searching for new knowledge. Apart from the need to use the scientific method, there are various obvious similarities with a systematic approach to solving problems. In contrast to problem-solving, experimentation is motivated by expanding horizons and opportunity as opposed to current challenges. Likewise, experimentation occurs in the form of one-of-a-kind demonstration projects or ongoing programs. With regard to learning from the past, companies ought to review their failures and successes, systematically assess and document the lessons learned in formats that the workforce deems accessible and open (Garvin, 1993). At the center of this is the need for organizational leaders to ensure that the past is not forgotten but rather integrated into the day-to-day organizational operations. While some valuable learning is derived from self-analysis and reflection, the most crucial insights may be obtained outside of an individual’s immediate surrounding. For instance, entities that are involved in two different lines of business may provide catalysts and ideas whose role in promoting creative thinking cannot be overstated. Specifically, this approach to gaining new insights is referred to as benchmarking.

Lastly, for learning organizations to make learning an integral element in their operations, the knowledge acquired has to be spread efficiently and quickly throughout the entire organization. This is because the ideas acquired have to be shared broadly within the organization as opposed to being left in the hands of a few individuals (Garvin, 1993). Several strategies can be used in driving this process. Notable among these include visual, oral, and written reports, tours and site tours, standardization programs, training and education programs, and personal rotation programs. Despite the effectiveness of these approaches, it is worthy to note that each bears distinct weaknesses and strengths.

As the global work environment becomes more complicated, crises are inevitable in the operation of organizations. Thus, managing crisis is one of the most important challenges for organizations in the 21st century. By mainstreaming learning within organizations, it becomes relatively easy to manage the crises. For instance, by learning from past crises, addressing similar situations in the future is significantly improved (Wang, 2008). In this quest, organizational leaders have to develop suitable approaches to crises management. Thus, learning organizations are not only better positioned to compete with their counterparts, but they also have an enhanced capacity to address crises when they arise.

References

Dierkes, M., Antal, A. B., Child, J., & Nonaka, I. (Eds.). (2003).  Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge . Oxford University Press, USA.

Garvin, D.A (1993). Building a learning organization. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1993/07/building-a-learning-organization  

Kerka, S. (1995). The Learning Organization. Myths and Realities.

Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline.  The Art & Practice of Learning Organization. Doupleday Currence, New York .

Serrat, O. (2017). Building a learning organization. In  Knowledge solutions  (pp. 57-67). Springer, Singapore.

Wang, J. (2008). Developing organizational learning capacity in crisis management.  Advances in developing human resources ,  10 (3), 425-445.

Zeeman, A. (n.d.). Senge’s Five Disciplines of Learning Organizations. Retrieved from https://www.toolshero.com/management/five-disciplines-learning-organizations/