Learning organizations  develop as a result of the pressures facing modern organizations; this enables them to remain competitive in the business environment.O'Keeffe, T. 2002. Organizational Learning: a new perspective. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26 (2), pp. 130-141. Characteristics There is a multitude of definitions of a learning organization as well as their typologies . Peter Senge stated in an interview that a learning organization is a group of people working together collectively to enhance their capacities to create results they really care about.Fulmer, Robert M., Keys, J. Bernard. (1998). A Conversation with Peter Senge: New Developments in Organizational Learning Organizational Dynamics, 27 (2), 33-42. Senge popularized the concept of the learning organization through his book The Fifth Discipline. In the book, he proposed the following five characteristics:Learning Organizations (2005) p.190Senge, P.M. 1990. The Fifth Discipline. London: Century Business. Systems thinking . The idea of the learning organization developed from a body of work called systems thinking. This is a conceptual framework that allows people to study businesses as bounded objects. Learning organizations use this method of thinking when assessing their company and have information systems that measure the performance of the organization as a whole and of its various components. Systems thinking states that all the characteristics  must be apparent at once in an organization for it to be a learning organization. If some of these characteristics are missing then the organization will fall short of its goal. However, O'Keeffe believes that the characteristics of a learning organization are factors that are gradually acquired, rather than developed simultaneously. Personal mastery. The commitment by an individual to the process of learning is known as personal mastery. There is a competitive advantage for an organization whose workforce can learn more quickly than the workforce of other organizations.Wang, C.L. and Ahmed, P.K. 2003. Organizational learning: a critical review. The learning organization, 10 (1) pp. 8-17. Learning is considered to be more than just acquiring information; it is expanding the ability to be more productive by learning how to apply our skills to our work in the most valuable way. Personal mastery appears also in a spiritual way as, for example, clarification of focus, personal vision and ability to see and interpret reality objectively. Individual learning is acquired through staff training, development and continuous self-improvement; however, learning cannot be forced upon an individual who is not receptive to learning. Research shows that most learning in the workplace is incidental, rather than the product of formal training, therefore it is important to develop a culture where personal mastery is practiced in daily life. A learning organization has been described as the sum of individual learning, but there must be mechanisms for individual learning to be transferred into organizational learning. Personal mastery makes possible many positive outcomes such as individual performance, self-efficacy, self-motivation, sense of responsibility, commitment, patience and focus on relevant matters as well as work-life balance and well-being. Mental models. Assumptions and generalizations held by individuals and organizations are called mental models. Personal mental models describe what people can or cannot detect.Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., & Smith, B. J. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. Due to selective observation, mental models might limit peoples’ observations. To become a learning organization, these models must be identified and challenged. Individuals tend to espouse theories, which are what they intend to follow, and theories-in-use, which are what they actually do. Similarly, organizations tend to have 'memories' which preserve certain behaviours, norms and values.Easterby-Smith, M. , Crossan, M., and Nicolini, D. 2000. Organizational learning: debates past, present and future. Journal of Management Studies. 37(6) pp 783-796. In creating a learning environment it is important to replace confrontational attitudes with an open culture that promotes inquiry and trust. To achieve this, the learning organization needs mechanisms for locating and assessing organizational theories of action. Unwanted values need to be discarded in a process called 'unlearning'. Wang and Ahmed refer to this as 'triple loop learning'. For organizations, problems arise when mental models evolve beneath the level of awareness. Thus it is important to examine business issues and actively question current business practices and new skills before they become integrated into new practices.Senge, P. M. (1992). Mental models. Planning review, 20(2), 4-44. Shared vision. The development of a shared vision is important in motivating the staff to learn, as it creates a common identity that provides focus and energy for learning. The most successful visions build on the individual visions of the employees at all levels of the organization, thus the creation of a shared vision can be hindered by traditional structures where the company vision is imposed from above. Therefore, learning organizations tend to have flat, decentralized organizational structures. The shared vision is often to succeed against a competitor; however, Senge states that these are transitory goals and suggests that there should also be long-term goals that are intrinsic within the company. On the other hand, the lack of clearly defined goals can negatively affect the organisation, as it cannot attain its members trust. Applying the practices of a shared vision creates a suitable environment for the development of trust through communication and collaboration within the organization. As a result, the built shared vision encourages the members to share their own experiences and opinions, thus enhancing effects of organizational learning. Team learning. The accumulation of individual learning constitutes team learning. The benefit of team or shared learning is that staff grow more quickly and the problem solving capacity of the organization is improved through better access to knowledge and expertise. Learning organizations have structures that facilitate team learning with features such as boundary crossing and openness. In team meetings members can learn better from each other by concentrating on listening, avoiding interruption, being interested in and responding.Senge, P. et al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization. As a result of development , people don't have to hide or overlook their disagreements . By those they make their collective understanding richer. Team learningis at its best: The ability to think insightfully about complex issues , the ability to take innovative, coordinated action and the ability to create a network that will allow other teams to take action as well .The Fifth Discipline (no date). Available at: URL . Team's focus is on transferring both quiet and explicit information across the group and creating an environment where creativity can flourish. Team learn how to think together. Team learning is process of adapting and developing the team capacity to create the results that its members really want. Team learning requires individuals to engage in dialogue and discussion; therefore team members must develop open communication, shared meaning, and shared understanding. Learning organizations typically have excellent knowledge management structures, allowing creation, acquisition, dissemination, and implementation of this knowledge in the organization. Team learning requires discipline and routines. Discipline in team helps members and leaders to use tools such as Action-Learning-Cycle and Dialogue . Team learning is only one element of  learning cycle. For the cycle to be complete, it has to include all five principles which are mentioned above. This combination encourages organizations to shift to a more interconnected way of thinking. Organizations should become more like communities that employees can feel a commitment to.Chawla, Sarita Renesch, John (1995). Learning Organizations: Developing Cultures for Tomorrow's Workplace. Portland, OR: Productivity Press (p. 16). Other benefits of a learning organization are: Maintaining levels of innovation and remaining competitiveMcHugh, D., Groves, D. and Alker, A. 1998. Managing learning: what do we learn from a learning organization? The Learning Organization. 5 (5) pp.209-220. Improved efficiency Having the knowledge to better link resources to customer needs Improving quality of outputs at all levels Improving corporate image by becoming more people oriented Increasing the pace of change within the organization Strengthening sense of community in the organization Improving long term decision making Improving knowledge sharing Problems organizational learning addresses Some of the issues that learning organizations were designed to address within institutions is fragmentation, competition and reactiveness.   Fragmentation is described as breaking a problem into pieces. For example, each organization has an accounting department, finance, operations, IT and marketing. Competition occurs when employees are trying to do better or 'beat' others in an assignment instead of collaborating. Reactiveness occurs when an organization changes only in reaction to outside forces, rather than proactively initiating change. There are criticisms of Learning OrganizationHsu, SW (2020) Still in search of Learning Organization? The Learning Organization, 27 (1): 31-41 See also Community of practice Knowledge capture Knowledge management Knowledge organization  Learning agenda Organizational learning Professional learning community Reflective practice The Learning Organization Barker, Randolph T. Camarata, Martin R. (1998). The role of communication in creating and maintaining a learning organization: preconditions, indicators, and disciplines, The Journal of Business Communication, 35 (4), 443-467. Örtenblad, Anders R. (2020). " The Oxford Handbook of the Learning Organization " ' Oxford University Press '. Papa, M. J., Daniels, T. D., & Spiker, B. K. (2008). Organizational Communication: Perspectives and Trends. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Schwandt, David R. , Marquardt, Michael J. (2000). Organizational Learning . Boca Raton: St. Lucie Press. Senge, Peter M. , Kleiner, Art ., Roberts, Charlotte ., Ross Richard B. , Smith, Bryan J. (  1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook New York: Currency Doubleday. Hsu, SW (2020)Still in search of Learning Organization: Towards a radical account of The Fifth Discipline . The Learning Organization .
Learning organizations may develop as a result of the pressures facing modern organizations; this enables them to remain competitive in the business environment.O'Keeffe, T. 2002. Organizational Learning: a new perspective. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26 (2), pp. 130-141. Characteristics There are many definitions of a learning organization as well as typologies of kinds of learning organizations. Peter Senge stated in an interview that a learning organization is a group of people working together collectively to enhance their capacities to create results they really care about.Fulmer, Robert M., Keys, J. Bernard. (1998). A Conversation with Peter Senge: New Developments in Organizational Learning Organizational Dynamics, 27 (2), 33-42. Senge popularized the concept of the learning organization through his book The Fifth Discipline. In the book, he proposed the following five characteristics:Learning Organizations (2005) p.190Senge, P.M. 1990. The Fifth Discipline. London: Century Business. Systems thinking The idea of the learning organization developed from a body of work called systems thinking. This is a conceptual framework that allows people to study businesses as bounded objects. Learning organizations use this method of thinking when assessing their company and have information systems that measure the performance of the organization as a whole and of its various components. Systems thinking states that all the characteristics of a learning organization must be apparent at once in an organization for it to be a learning organization. If some of these characteristics are missing then the organization will fall short of its goal. However, O'Keeffe believes that the characteristics of a learning organization are factors that are gradually acquired, rather than developed simultaneously. Personal mastery The commitment by an individual to the process of learning is known as personal mastery. There is a competitive advantage for an organization whose workforce can learn more quickly than the workforce of other organizations.Wang, C.L. and Ahmed, P.K. 2003. Organizational learning: a critical review. The learning organization, 10 (1) pp. 8-17. Learning is considered to be more than just acquiring information; it is expanding the ability to be more productive by learning how to apply our skills to work in the most valuable way. Personal mastery appears also in a spiritual way as, for example, clarification of focus, personal vision and ability to see and interpret reality objectively. Individual learning is acquired through staff training, development and continuous self-improvement; however, learning cannot be forced upon an individual who is not receptive to learning. Research shows that most learning in the workplace is incidental, rather than the product of formal training, therefore it is important to develop a culture where personal mastery is practiced in daily life. A learning organization has been described as the sum of individual learning, but there must be mechanisms for individual learning to be transferred into organizational learning. Personal mastery makes possible many positive outcomes such as individual performance, self-efficacy, self-motivation, sense of responsibility, commitment, patience and focus on relevant matters as well as work-life balance and well-being. Mental models Assumptions and generalizations held by individuals and organizations are called mental models. Personal mental models describe what people can or cannot detect.Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., & Smith, B. J. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. Due to selective observation, mental models might limit peoples’ observations. To become a learning organization, these models must be identified and challenged. Individuals tend to espouse theories, which are what they intend to follow, and theories-in-use, which are what they actually do. Similarly, organizations tend to have 'memories' which preserve certain behaviours, norms and values.Easterby-Smith, M. , Crossan, M., and Nicolini, D. 2000. Organizational learning: debates past, present and future. Journal of Management Studies. 37(6) pp 783-796. In creating a learning environment it is important to replace confrontational attitudes with an open culture that promotes inquiry and trust. To achieve this, the learning organization needs mechanisms for locating and assessing organizational theories of action. Unwanted values need to be discarded in a process called 'unlearning'. Wang and Ahmed refer to this as 'triple loop learning'. For organizations, problems arise when mental models evolve beneath the level of awareness. Thus it is important to examine business issues and actively question current business practices and new skills before they become integrated into new practices.Senge, P. M. (1992). Mental models. Planning review, 20(2), 4-44. Shared vision The development of a shared vision is important in motivating the staff to learn, as it creates a common identity that provides focus and energy for learning. The most successful visions build on the individual visions of the employees at all levels of the organization, thus the creation of a shared vision can be hindered by traditional structures where the company vision is imposed from above. Therefore, learning organizations tend to have flat, decentralized organizational structures. The shared vision is often to succeed against a competitor; however, Senge states that these are transitory goals and suggests that there should also be long-term goals that are intrinsic within the company. On the other hand, the lack of clearly defined goals can negatively affect the organisation, as it cannot attain its members trust. Applying the practices of a shared vision creates a suitable environment for the development of trust through communication and collaboration within the organization. As a result, the built shared vision encourages the members to share their own experiences and opinions, thus enhancing effects of organizational learning. Team learning The accumulation of individual learning constitutes team learning. The benefit of team or shared learning is that staff learn more quickly and the problem solving capacity of the organization is improved through better access to knowledge and expertise. Learning organizations have structures that facilitate team learning with features such as boundary crossing and openness. In team meetings members can learn better from each other by concentrating on listening, avoiding interruption, being interested and responding.Senge, P. et al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization. In such a learning environment , people don't have to hide or overlook their disagreements , so they make their collective understanding richer. Three dimensions of team learning, according to Senge, are: "the ability to think insightfully about complex issues ", " the ability to take innovative, coordinated action ", and " the ability to create a network that will allow other teams to take action as well ". In a learning organization, teams learn how to think together. Team learning is process of adapting and developing the team capacity to create the results that its members really want. Team learning requires individuals to engage in dialogue and discussion; therefore team members must develop open communication, shared meaning, and shared understanding. Learning organizations typically have excellent knowledge management structures, allowing creation, acquisition, dissemination, and implementation of this knowledge in the organization. Teams use tools such as an action learning cycle and dialogue . Team learning is only one element of the learning cycle. For the cycle to be complete, it has to include all five characteristics which are mentioned above. Other benefits of a learning organization are: Maintaining levels of innovation and remaining competitiveMcHugh, D., Groves, D. and Alker, A. 1998. Managing learning: what do we learn from a learning organization? The Learning Organization. 5 (5) pp.209-220. Having the knowledge to better link resources to customer needs Improving quality of outputs at all levels Improving corporate image by becoming more people oriented Increasing the pace of change within the organization Strengthening sense of community in the organization Improving long term decision making Improving knowledge sharing Problems organizational learning addresses Some of the issues that learning organizations were designed to address within institutions is fragmentation, competition and reactiveness. Chawla, Sarita Renesch, John (1995). Learning Organizations: Developing Cultures for Tomorrow's Workplace. Portland, OR: Productivity Press (p. 16). Fragmentation is described as breaking a problem into pieces. For example, each organization has an accounting department, finance, operations, IT and marketing. Competition occurs when employees are trying to do better or 'beat' others in an assignment instead of collaborating. Reactiveness occurs when an organization changes only in reaction to outside forces, rather than proactively initiating change. See also Community of practice Knowledge capture Knowledge management Knowledge organization Lean startup Learning agenda Organizational learning Professional learning community Reflective practice Örtenblad, Anders R. (2020). The Oxford Handbook of the Learning Organization . New York: Oxford University Press . Cummings, Thomas G. (ed.) (2008). Handbook of Organization Development. Los Angeles: Sage. Papa, M. J., Daniels, T. D., & Spiker, B. K. (2008). Organizational Communication: Perspectives and Trends. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Garvin, David A. (2000). Learning in Action: A Guide to Putting the Learning Organization to Work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Flood, Robert L. (1999). Rethinking the Fifth Discipline: Learning Within the Unknowable. London; New York: Routledge. Aubrey, Robert; Cohen, Paul M. (1995). Working Wisdom: Timeless Skills and Vanguard Strategies for Learning Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Chawla, Sarita; Renesch, John (eds.) (1995). Learning Organizations: Developing Cultures for Tomorrow's Workplace. Portland, OR: Productivity Press. Senge, Peter M. ; Kleiner, Art ; Roberts, Charlotte ; Ross Richard B. ; Smith, Bryan J. ( eds.) ( 1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook New York: Currency Doubleday. Watkins, Karen E.; Marsick, Victoria J. (1993). Sculpting the Learning Organization: Lessons in the Art and Science of Systemic Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Senge, Peter M. (1990/2006). The Fifth Discipline : The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (Revised edition). New York: Currency/Doubleday .
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