The Learning Organization

Organizational Leadership – The Learning Organization

Peter Senge describes a true learning organization as one that “can develop not only new capabilities, but also a fundamental mind-set transformation.”

Discontinuous change – occurs when anticipated or expected changes bear no resemblance to the present or the past.

Learning organization – one that is skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights.

* effectively managing both the creation and sharing of knowledge can provide an organization with sustainable competitive advantage

Characteristics of a Learning Organization

• Values of experimentation, initiative, innovation, and flexibility are embedded in the culture and included in the reward and appraisal systems of the organization.
• Visible and strong top management support.
• Mechanisms and structures in place that support and nurture ideas generated by people at all levels in the organization.
• Knowledge and information is made accessible to anyone who needs them, and people are encouraged to apply them to their work.
• Resources are committed to fostering learning on all levels.
• Employees are empowered to solve problems as they arise and to find better ways of doing work.
• Equal emphasis is place on the short- and long-term performance of the organization.
• There is a deep desire throughout the organization to develop and refine knowledge of how things work, how to adapt to the environment, and how to achieve organizational objectives.
• People are not afraid to fail.

Differences between the Traditional and the Learning Organization

• Stable environment -> Changing environment
• Vertical structure -> Flat horizontal structure
• Strategy is top-down -> Strategy is a collaborative effort
• Centralized decision making -> Decentralized decision making
• Rigidly defined and specialized tasks -> Loose, flexible, and adaptive roles
• Rigid culture, unresponsive to change -> Adaptive culture, encourages continuous improvement and change
• Formal systems of communication with lots of filters -> Personal and group networks of free, open exchanges with no filters

Role of Leaders in Creating a Learning Organization

• Encourage creative thinking.
• Create a climate in which experimentation is encouraged.
• Provide incentives for learning an innovation.
• Build confidence in followers’ capacity to learn and adapt.
• Encourage systems thinking.
• Create a culture conducive to individual and team learning.
• Institute mechanisms for channeling and nurturing creative ideas for innovation.
• Create a shared vision for learning.
• Broaden employees’ frame of reference.
• Create an environment in which people can learn from their mistakes.

Source
Lussier, R. & Achua C.. Leadership – Theory, Application, and Skill Development. Mason, Ohio: Thomson. 2007.