Article Review of John Bersin's article, 5 Keys to Building a Learning Organization

2. Give your opinion on the current Organizational Learning Mechanism(s) (OLMs) that hinder organizational learning. Support your response with one (1) example of a training or learning initiative (e.g., sharing knowledge, training programs, working as a team, experiences, procedures, processes, etc.) and the outcome when it was applied to the organization.

Many companies are very keen and ready to clinch Work Base Learning in an organization, not mainly because it provide you with lifelong learning, but also it is an important ingredient of what Senge (1990) has termed as the ‘learning organization’. A learning organization is a place in which the learning and flair of persons is backed and promoted so that the organization itself be able to form its future and it also very important to gain competitive advantage.

Learning at an organization is more of a self-conducted activity, and is a continuous process that lasts the entire cycle of the organization and the tenure of the employee. Nevertheless, each organization must effectively employ certain training and development activities for new as well as seasoned employees in order to accomplish different objectives:-

There have four characteristics in the supportive learning environment: Psychological safety, appreciation of differences, openness to new ideas, and time for reflection. The four steps of learning processes: First, generation. Company need to develop and test new products or services. Second, collection. Company need to collect customers, technological and information about competitors. Third, interpretation. Through rigorous analysis to identify and solve problems. At last, dissemination of information. Company should move information into customers' hand and heads quickly and efficiently. Leadership reinforcing learning means leaders should get some feedback from employees in order to motivating employees ask and discuss problems. The authors use learning organization survey to determine the organizations. After survey, authors conclude four principles about learning organization: "Leadership alone is insufficient" - Leaders need open their minded for questioning, cogitative listening, consider a

Learning organizations also promote teamwork and cooperation and an organizational culture that encourages experimentation. The fact that the paper suggests that these five strategic building blocks and the supporting foundations are the key factors in this new organizational archetype called a learning organization. These building blocks and supporting foundations need to be present or to be implemented to have a learning capability. However, if this idea of a learning organization is to take hold in organizations and gain credence and support by practicing managers, it must also have an impact on organizational performance.

What steps should Jeanie take to implement a Learning Organization at the Toronto flagship store? a. A learning organisation is an organisation that creates, acquires, organizes, shares, and retains information and knowledge and uses new information and knowledge to change and modify its behaviour to achieve its objectives and improve its effectiveness. A learning organisation transforms itself by acquiring and disseminating new knowledge and skills throughout the organisation. The following are the steps for implementing the Learning Organisation: - i. Attention:

Organizational learning promotes: adaptability, participation and information openness. Consequently, not only employee performance will be enhanced, but also the increase of organizations effectiveness and efficiency.

Throughout our final semester of study at Maryville, our cohort has studied Peter Senge’s, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Rather than set of management practices, the book describes how organizations, especially those that are sustainably competitive, know how to learn. These “learning organizations” are continuously learning how to work together, where the norm is producing their best. In the book, Senge identifies five essential elements, that when practiced together, create perfect conditions for an effective learning organization. These five practices are Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision,

     In his book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge emphasizes his model of a "learning organization," which he defines as "an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future." A learning organization excels at both adaptive learning and generative learning.

Peter Senge, (1990), a learning organization is organization “where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly

Nonaka believes that cultural knowledge, implicit knowledge and the role of an enterprise fosters the learning process of an organization. While Gavin suggests measurable indices and standard processes are indispensable to measure the learning processes to build a learning organization. He criticizes the approach of Nonaka and suggests that without a track and audit it is difficult to introduce and manage the learning culture in a corporation. Learning needs a concrete change in the behavior among people. Garvin suggests that a learning philosophy is quite ideal and lacks an operational plan to execute it. He suggests a model and presents his thought on how to advance standard operating procedure guidelines to build a learning organization. But before explaining his view, he emphasis on the need of defining a proper framework at a place to develop new ideas such that disparate idea strategies can be commensurate at a particular scale. First, he suggests a framework of the 3M’s: Meaning, Management, and Measurement. The visualization being that since ‘learning’ is an equivocal philosophy which has no quantifiable and unified approach to measuring any learning strategy. And, it also deficits a best practice to regulate a learning organization. Therefore, the preeminent issue is not to bring up these ideas, but to develop a framework to test the issues and build a new learning organization. Garvin suggests that an organization should first set up the definition what ‘learning’

In summary, a learning organization is one that cultivates an environment that supports learning, places emphasis on learning practices and processes, and includes leaders who advocates, drives and models continues learning. (Garvin, Edmondson, & Gino, 2008)

A learning organization is one that is able to transform its culture and behaviors from an occurred situation. This includes the organization realizing a repeated pattern of behaviors that is not growing or helping the organization in the right direction. When organizations admit to certain truths or facts and acknowledge flawed behaviors, then change can start. Organizations attempt to change by restructuring and reorganizing the company. Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning but, without it no organizational learning occurs’ (Senge 1990).

Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Organizational Learning: Do not make the decisions hasty, considering all possible options to reach the consensus then execution fast. Furthermore, through constant reflection and continuously improvement to become a learning organization.

Villardi and Leitão (2012) explained the fact that term Learning Organization can’t be understood without giving a thought to the prevalent business and Organizational Learning paradigm which requires the managerial thinking. It was concluded that the concept of Learning Organization can definitely provide a potential to transform the changes in a firm to re-conceptualize the business organization.