A Learning
Organization, according to Peter Senge, is an organization "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 see the
whole (reality) together." In a
learning organization, "leaders are designers, stewards and teachers. They
are responsible for building organizations where
people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify
vision, and improve shared mental models." Whereas Organizational Learning
as defined by Harvard Business School professor David Garvin, is the
"process of creating, acquiring, interpreting, transferring, and retaining
knowledge and using the new knowledge as a basis for responding to a changing
environment." Organizational
learning is a process to ultimately become a Learning Organization.
The aspects
that stood out to me in Senge's definition of the Learning Organization were:
- Getting the desired results
- Nurturing new patterns of thinking
- Leadership involvement
- Continually learning to see the whole reality together
- Investment in learning (although this point is not very explicit above)
Every year,
the Association for Talent Development awards organizations that "get
it" and are "best in class." This link
provides information not only about the names of award winning organizations
for 2014, but also lists attributes that make them best in class. Most of the
attributes resonate really well with the five points listed above.
- Getting the desired results entails two aspects a) fulfilling individual goals b) achieving organization's strategic goals. This is possible only if there is alignment between individual goals and organizational goals, as well as between L&D objectives and activities and the business. As the article notes, best in class learning organizations "demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee learning and development" as well as "use the learning function as a strategic business tool to get results". This may takes various forms such as having robust talent development programs or building organizational capability by taking a systems approach to business needs and then training and developing talent to meet those business needs.
- Nurturing new patterns of thinking goes to the heart of having a "culture of learning." It involves first and foremost, allowing new ideas to flow in, critically analyzing them, and then adopting the best parts of those ideas as new patterns of thinking and "doing". This is a big deal! Most organizations are so stuck with "this is how we've always done things around here" approach that they don't even entertain new ideas, let alone adopt them. This is especially true of successful organizations. However, it is really important for organizations to let employees explore new ways of thinking and doing to bring in new ideas that will help the organization adapt to the ever changing external environment. This attitude will foster innovation and we all know how important innovation is to scoring competitive advantage in today's environment.
- Leadership involvement is crucial to any organizational initiative that hopes to see the light of the day. The idea of leaders being responsible for " building organizations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models" speaks to the role of leadership in creating the environment that provides opportunities for individual learning, team learning as well as systems thinking. It clarifies that leaders are not just relegated to the business and financial aspects, but involved in every aspect of learning and development.
- Continuous learning to "see the whole reality together" comprises two aspects, a) continuous learning b) systems thinking. The idea here is to look at things from a systems perspective as a team or an organization. This is the heart of team learning and using the skills of reflection, inquiry, and dialog for group problem solving and learning. It allows the organization/team to gain insights which would not have been possible individually.
- Investment in learning is a pre-requisite, and this does not have to be limited to monetary investment alone. The investment of time and effort, especially from leadership is equally valuable (one could argue that you can quantify time and effort investment and show a dollar figure), but the benefits derived from these investment certainly will be beyond tangible or quantifiable. When employees see their organization investing in their learning and development, in providing them opportunities to innovate, there is no limit to what an organization can achieve.
To the above
five, I would add the following equally important practices that best in class
learning organizations adopt:
- Integrating learning with performance: In today's global workplace, when technology has become all pervasive and we are collaborating with team members from different parts of the world, we cannot afford to draw a line saying this is where "learning" ends and "work" begins. Organizations cannot afford to separate learning from performance, simply because that distinction does not exist.
- Flawless execution: Many organizations and L&D functions are good when it comes to planning on paper, but falter during execution when faced with unanticipated challenges. Navigating these challenges and staying on course to make sure the initiative/s reap the desired outcome is absolutely essential to their success.
- Measuring the impact of learning initiatives: Finally, there has to be data to support that the initiatives have really been successful and effective. And measurement does not refer to surveys asking users if they liked the "training," rather, it involves measuring the impact of the initiative on business results, because that is ultimately the goal of learning. Measuring often, but appropriately will also gather data that will help quantify "success" and generate more stakeholder buy-in for future initiatives.
References for link & images:
Book: The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge
