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