| A learning organisation is an
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| | to simple cause-effect chains.
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| organisation that learns and encourages
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| | Systems thinking shows us that the
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| learning among its people. It promotes
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| | essential properties of a system are not
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| exchange of information between
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| | determined by the sum of its parts but by
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| employees, hence creating a more
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| | the process of interactions between those
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| knowledgeable workforce. This produces a
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| | parts. This is the discipline used to
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| very flexible organisation where people
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| | implement the other disciplines. Without
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| will accept and adapt to new ideas and
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| | it each of the disciplines would be
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| change through shared vision.
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| | isolated and would fail to achieve its
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| It is said that the only constant in life
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| | objective.
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| is change and organisations are not
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| | How to build a learning organisation
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| spared. Change brings about not only
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| | The challenges facing managers in
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| uncertainty and risks but also
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| | applying these five disciplines at the
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| opportunities for growth. Those
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| | workplace are the following:
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| organisations that can manipulate the
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| | . Building a sound base
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| information available have a bigger
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| | . Apply the Golden Rules
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| chance to succeed. It is therefore
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| | BUILDING A SOUND BASE
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| important for everyone to be more
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| | Before a Learning Organisation can be
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| knowledgeable about the work environment
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| | achieved, a solid foundation has to be in
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| they are in. Building a learning
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| | place. This can be implemented by taking
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| organisation is a means to a business
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| | into account the following points.
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| goal. It is not a new theory but a
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| | ~ Awareness. Awareness of the benefits of
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| concept that has become an increasingly
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| | a learning organisation must permeate to
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| widespread philosophy in modern
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| | all levels not just the management level.
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| companies, from the largest
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| | A learning culture must be fostered among
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| multinationals to the smallest
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| | the employees that survival of the
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| enterprises. It is to be applied
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| | fittest depends on having a knowledgeable
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| according to the circumstances of each
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| | workforce. Change should start and be
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| business, which has to cater for it at
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| | supported from top management and this
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| strategic and operational levels.
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| | 'new' culture should be manifested in the
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| 'Systems Thinking' takes a holistic
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| | commitment to learning, personal
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| approach to learning whereby not only
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| | development of the individual as well as
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| does the organisation learn but so do all
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| | valuing people and their divergent views.
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| its employees, irrespective of their role
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| | ~ The Environment. The right environment
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| within the organisation. Information has
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| | must be in place so that learning can
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| to be disseminated to all levels and does
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| | take place. Centralised, mechanistic
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| not stop at top management, thus,
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| | structures do not create a good
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| facilitating learning through flexibility
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| | environment. Organisations having organic
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| and open communication by removing
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| | structures are well positioned to develop
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| barriers to communication and adopting
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| | into a learning organisation. An organic
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| flatter organisational structure and
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| | structure places less emphasis on giving
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| design.
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| | and taking orders and more on encouraging
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| Therefore the message is clear: any
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| | managers and subordinates to work
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| organisation that is committed to future
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| | together in teams and to communicate
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| success must become a learning
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| | openly with each other. Authority,
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| organisation in order to compete and
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| | responsibility and accountability flow to
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| survive. Today continuous improvement is
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| | employees with the expertise required to
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| a must. "Any organisation is only as good
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| | solve problems. In a nutshell, a flat
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| as its people and continuous improvement
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| | organisation, whereby communication can
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| in business is about the development of
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| | flow in all directions and foster
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| people and therefore creating a learning
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| | innovation amongst its employees.
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| culture." (Sheppard)
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| | ~ Leadership. Managers must adopt open
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| Systems Thinking
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| | communication management styles so that
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| The idea behind the concept coined
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| | employees will be able to question and
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| 'Systems Thinking' in the 1950's was that
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| | come forward with ideas. Understand that
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| enterprises need to be aware of both the
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| | mistakes and errors are part of this
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| company as a whole as well as the
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| | process and therefore employees should
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| individuals within the company –
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| | not be in fear of reprimands. Managers
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| taking a holistic approach to managing.
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| | must also provide commitment for
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| Gould-Kreutzer Associates Inc. defined it
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| | long-term learning in the form of
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| as "a framework for seeing
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| | resources (money, personnel and time).
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| interrelationships rather than things; to
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| | The amount of these resources determines
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| see the forest and the trees." System
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| | the quantity and quality of learning.
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| Thinking therefore tries to change the
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| | ~ Empowerment. Employees should be
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| managerial view so that it includes the
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| | empowered to take decisions and actions.
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| ambitions of the individual workers, not
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| | Let them own the process whilst
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| just the business goals.
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| | monitoring all that is happening. Only
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| However, it was only during the 1990's
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| | through motivation and innovation will
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| that this concept started to be taken
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| | the employees grow and learn, equal
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| seriously by organisations. Systems
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| | participation should be encouraged so
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| Thinking nowadays is synonymous with
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| | that employees can learn from each other
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| Peter Senge, one of the modern day gurus,
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| | simultaneously. The benefits are for
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| who in his book "The Fifth Discipline:
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| | themselves and the organisation.
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| The Art and Practice of The Learning
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| | ~ Learning. Company-wide training is to
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| Organisation" popularised the concept of
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| | be made available. This may take the form
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| the learning organisation, and referred
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| | of simulation case studies where
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| to 'Systems Thinking' as the Fifth
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| | brainstorming sessions will be beneficial
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| Discipline. Since its publication in
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| | to all participants.
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| 1990, more than a million copies of this
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| | APPLY THE GOLDEN RULES
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| book have been sold and in 1997, Harvard
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| | The following practices and approaches
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| Business Review identified his book as
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| | can be used while managing the learning
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| one of the seminal management books of
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| | process.
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| the past 75 years.
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| | 1. Thrive on change. Management must not
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| According to Senge, learning
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| | be afraid of change. There should be
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| organisations are "organisations where
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| | commitment to and focus on the things
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| people continually expand their capacity
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| | that matter most. Change is necessary and
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| to create the results they truly desire,
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| | therefore clear objectives and plans must
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| where new and expansive patterns of
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| | be in place. Change will translate itself
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| thinking are nurtured, where collective
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| | into a learning opportunity.
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| aspiration is set free, and where people
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| | 2. Encourage experimentation. Change will
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| are continually learning to see the whole
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| | bring along uncertainty and risks.
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| together. "
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| | Experimentation is a necessary risk.
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| Senge posits that the dimension that
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| | Accept mistakes as a normal process and
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| distinguishes learning from more
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| | encourage employees to come forward with
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| traditional organisations is the mastery
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| | ideas. Learning from mistakes is often
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| of certain basic disciplines, which he
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| | more powerful than learning from success.
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| regards as a series of principles and
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| | The most important thing is to 'fail
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| practices that we study, master and
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| | intelligently' to learn something from
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| integrate into our lives. The five
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| | mistakes. Apply reviews of the whole
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| disciplines that he identifies are said
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| | change process and reward individual
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| to be common to all learning
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| | effort.
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| organisations.
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| | 3. Communicate success and failure. Let
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| They are:
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| | there be a communication system of
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| 1. PERSONAL MASTERY. This is the
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| | disseminating information and knowledge
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| discipline of 'continually clarifying and
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| | that reaches everyone efficiently, for
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| deepening our personal vision, of
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| | example, through company journals,
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| focusing our energies, of developing
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| | website, job rotation programs etc.
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| patience, and of seeing reality
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| | 4. Facilitate learning from the
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| objectively.
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| | surrounding environment. Learn from
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| People with a high level of personal
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| | internal factors such as processes and
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| mastery live in a continual learning
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| | procedures at work and find ways of how
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| mode, continually clarifying and
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| | to improve learning from competitors.
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| deepening their personal vision. This
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| | Avoid their mistakes and copy their
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| takes place by assessing the gap between
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| | well-achieved results. Can also form
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| their current knowledge and the desired
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| | alliances to have a cross fertilisation
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| knowledge, and by practising and refining
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| | of ideas. Build a relationship with
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| skills. This develops self-esteem and
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| | customers. Apply an outside-in policy to
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| creates the confidence to tackle new
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| | strategies. Customers provide free advice
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| challenges.
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| | through their complaints, suggestions and
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| 2. MENTAL MODELS. These are 'deeply
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| | surveys. After all, the organisation
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| ingrained assumptions, generalisations,
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| | survives through satisfying customers.
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| or even pictures and images that
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| | Theirs might be the best advice.
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| influence how we understand the world and
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| | 5. Facilitate learning from employees.
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| how we take action. '
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| | Offer continuous learning and
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| The discipline of mental models starts
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| | multi-skilling opportunities. Remove
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| with turning the mirror inward; learning
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| | hierarchies and empower people to
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| to unearth our internal pictures of the
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| | experiment and take decisions. The people
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| world, to bring them to the surface and
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| | at the lower ranks in an organisation are
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| hold them rigorously to scrutiny. Every
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| | the ones who know most of the problems
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| individual has his own perception of the
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| | within the business. This means that more
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| things around him. This happens
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| | often than not, the employees themselves
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| consciously and unconsciously and
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| | know what needs to be done to improve the
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| therefore, if team members can, through
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| | business.
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| positive, constructive criticism,
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| | 6. Reward learning. Have a proper
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| challenge each others' ideas and
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| | performance appraisal system to reward
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| assumptions, they can begin to perceive
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| | those employees who are embracing the
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| their mental models, and to change these
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| | learning culture to boost morale.
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| to create a shared mental model for the
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| | Remember that everybody wants their work
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| team. This is important as the
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| | to be appreciated. Make sure therefore
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| individual's mental model will control
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| | that individual performance is linked
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| what can or cannot be done.
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| | with organisational performance.
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| 3. BUILDING SHARED VISION. Senge sees
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| | 7. Intentionally retrieve and retain
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| this as 'the capacity to hold a shared
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| | company memory. It is important to keep a
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| picture of the future we seek to create.
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| | record of processes and achievements so
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| 'When there is a genuine vision (as
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| | that learning will not be lost; it can be
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| opposed to the all-to-familiar 'vision
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| | passed on to those coming later on into
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| statement'), people excel and learn. To
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| | the company and also the company can
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| create a shared vision, large numbers of
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| | refer back to information held. The
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| people within the organisation must draft
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| | learning process must be planned and
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| it, empowering them to create a single
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| | objectives for it set. It must be
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| image of the future. With a shared
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| | monitored and reviewed all the time.
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| vision, people will do things because
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| | Through the learning organisation process
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| they want to, not because they have to.
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| | people will develop, the brains of all
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| 4. TEAM LEARNING. Such learning is viewed
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| | employees are switched on, not just those
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| as 'the process of aligning and
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| | of the few, and a feel good factor is
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| developing the capacities of a team to
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| | created through greater motivation. A
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| create the results its members truly
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| | more flexible workforce evolves by
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| desire. '
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| | building organisations fit for human
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| It builds on personal mastery and shared
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| | beings. People will become more creative
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| vision, but these are not enough. People
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| | and social interaction will improve.
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| need to be able to act together, as
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| | Teams and groups will work better through
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| virtually all important decisions occur
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| | knowledge sharing, becoming more
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| in groups. Adults learn best from each
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| | interdependent, increasing responsibility
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| other and with team learning, the
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| | at all levels and developing an
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| learning ability of the group becomes
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| | entrepreneurial spirit. The company will
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| greater than the learning ability of any
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| | benefit from better customer relations,
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| individual in the group.
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| | the breaking down of traditional
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| 5. SYSTEMS THINKING. The cornerstone of
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| | communication barriers, and from the
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| any learning organisation is this fifth
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| | increased creativity and innovation of
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| discipline. This is the ability to see
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| | its people that should give it a
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| the bigger picture, to look at the
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| | competitive edge.
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| interrelationships of a system as opposed
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