THE LEARNING ORGANISATION

CONTENTS

❖ INTRODUCTION

❖ DEFINITIONS

❖ CHARACTERISTICS & RELEVANCE

❖ BUILDING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

 INTRODUCTION

LEARNING:
Any relatively permanent change in behaviour
that occurs as a result of experience.

LEARNING ORGANISATION:
An organization that has developed the
continuous capacity to adapt and change and
learn new behaviour
 LEARNING ORGANISATION DEFINITIONS
Organizations where people
continually expand their
A Learning Company capacity to create the
is an organisation results they truly desire,
that facilitates the where new and expansive
learning of all its patterns of thinking are
members and nurtured, where collective
continually aspiration is set free, and
transforms itself. ” where people are
to
continually learning
-PEDLER, 1991
learn together.”
- PETER SENGE
 Organizational Designs
■ The Learning Organization
■ An organization that has developed the capacity to
continuously learn, adapt, and change through the
practice of knowledge sharing by employees
■ Characteristics of a learning organization:
■ An open team-based organization design that
empowers employees
■ Extensive and open information sharing

■ Leadership that provides a shared vision of the

organization’s future, support and encouragement
■ A strong culture of shared values, trust, openness, and
a sense of community.
Organisational Learning Vs
Learning Organisation
Organisational Learning
 Organisational Learning Cont…
■ Organisational learning )described in more non-normative
terms is the occurrence of behavior changes under the
influence of knowledge.
■ Argyris (2000) refers to this process as single-loop learning.
Many quality improvement projects can be called single-loop
learning.
■ Double-loop learning involves changing the underlying
principles. The term covers e.g. business process
re-engineering.-->thus about why…???
■ A third loop must be added to the two loops of Argyris:
triple-loop learning (Swierenga and Wierdsma, 1990). Triple
loop learning is when the principles upon which the
organization is based are put into question:do we or do we
not want to provide health care in a commercial basis?
 SINGLE AND DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING

Define expectations

Take action

Plan corrective action Monitor and review

Single-loop learning

Re-define expectations
as necessary
Double-loop learning

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 Chris Argyris and Donald Schön – Single and Double loop learning

■Single Loop Learning: This involves making adjustments within existing frameworks
■or strategies without questioning the underlying assumptions.
■It's like fixing a problem within the established rules and procedures,
■but not challenging or changing the fundamental approach.
■Example: If a sales strategy isn't working, single loop learning

■might involve tweaking the sales techniques without questioning the overall sales model
■Double Loop Learning: This goes beyond surface-level adjustments
■and involves questioning and potentially changing the
■underlying assumptions and governing variables.
■It's a more profound form of learning that addresses not just what went wrong but why it
went wrong.
■Example: Instead of just adjusting sales techniques, double loop learning
■would involve questioning the entire sales model,
■exploring whether the product, target market, or overall approach needs reevaluation.
■In essence, single loop learning is about fixing issues within the existing framework,
■while double loop learning involves questioning and potentially changing the framework
itself.
WHEN THE RATE OF CHANGE OUTSIDE EXCEEDS
THE RATE OF CHANGE INSIDE, THE END IS IN
SIGHT
 The Elements of Organization
■ Structure :defines formal channels for
reporting, and issuing instructions and the
allocation of authority and responsibility.
■ Systems and Procedures : consist of
methods for information processing,
decision making and taking action.
■ Values and Culture : may be more or less
formalized - bureau tic /mechanistic,
team-working, outward-looking, putting
people first, and organic.
LEARNING ORGANIZATION
Peter Senge
Person Menta
al l
Maste Model
ry s

Learnin
Syste g
ms Organiz Share
ation d
Thinki Vision
ng
Team
Learni
ng
 Peter Senge’s Principles of Learning Organisation
■ Peter Senge's principles of a Learning Organization emphasize a holistic
approach to organizational growth and adaptability.
■ Firstly, he highlights "personal mastery," encouraging individuals to
continuously improve their skills and mindset.
■ "Shared vision" emphasizes a common goal that inspires collective
effort.
■ "Mental models" calls for challenging ingrained assumptions to foster
open-mindedness.
■ "Team learning" stresses collaborative problem-solving, promoting
synergy.
■ Lastly, "systems thinking" encourages a comprehensive understanding
of interdependencies within the organization.
■ In essence, a Learning Organization, according to Senge, values
individual and collective learning, embraces a shared vision, challenges
mental models, fosters team collaboration, and employs systems
thinking for a more adaptive and resilient organizational culture.
 Peter Senge in The Fifth Disciplines-the Art and Practice of Learning
Organization
■ Personal mastery- the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening one’s
personal vision and objectivity.
■ Making mental models- the discipline of creating with metaphors and
language a mental model of what the organization is, what it stands for, and
how it works.
■ Building shared visions- the discipline of translating the visions of an
organisation’s leader or leaders from the objectives shared by a few to a
vision for everyone in that organisation.
■ Team learning -the discipline of ensuring that the collective intelligence of a
team is greater than the sum of the individual intelligence; if a team is
dysfunctional, the intelligence of a team will be less than the summed
intelligence of the individuals.
■ Systems thinking- what senge calls the fifth discipline -the discipline in which
individual elements are linked together into a coherent set of activities with
a common set of objectives.
 System Thinking

Principl Result
es Insights Rules Action
s

Single loop

Double loop

Triple loop
 SENGE CHARACTERISTICS
Characteristic Definition Associated Positive
Best Practices By-products

Self mastery- The ability to 1.Sharing 1.Greater

honestly and experiences commitment
individual openly see reality 2.More interaction 2.Ability to face
time between limitations
as it exists. supervisory levels 3.Ability to deal
3.Emphasis on
feedback with change
Mental models - The ability to 1.Time for learning 1.Less avoidance of
compare reality 2.Forgiveness
individual with perceptions; 3.Flexibility difficult situations
reconciling both
into a coherent

understanding

Shared vision - The ability of a 1.Trust 1.Faster change

group of individuals 2.Empathy 2.More effective
group to hold a shared 3.Co-operation communication
picture of a 4.A common
mutually desirable flows
language
future
Team learning - The ability of a 1.Consensus 1.Group
group of individuals building self-awareness
group to suspend 2.Top-down and 2.Heightened
personal bottom-up collective learning
assumptions about communication
3.Enhanced
each other and flows
engage in
creativity
"dialogue“.

Systems thinking - The ability to see 1.Practicing self 1.Long-term

interrelationships mastery improvement
group rather than linear 2.Possessing 2.Decreased
cause-effect consistent mental organizational
models conflict
3.Possessing a 3.Continuous
shared vision learning among
4.Emphasis on
group members
team learning
 IMPLEMENTATION OF LEARNING
ORGANIZATION
MECHANICAL SYSTEM NATURAL SYSTEM
PARADIGM PARADIGM

VERTICAL
STRUCTURE HORIZONTAL
STRUCTURE
ROUTINE RIGID CULTURE
TASKS EMPOWERED ADAPTIVE
ROLES CULTURE

FORMAL COMPETITIVE STRATEGY SHARED COLLABORATIVE

SYSTEM INFORMATION STRATEGY
 BUILDING A LEARNING
ORGANIZATION
Learning organization seems to fall naturally into three
categories:

I. The application of the academic theory systematic

learning to business. The key factors which are aimed
at enhancing an organization’s creative capability are:
a) Team Learning
b) Building a Shared Vision
c) Mental Models
d) System thinking
e) Personal Mastery
II. The presentation of definitions followed by
perspective ,practical solutions:

a) Organizational Intention
b) Autonomy
c) Fluctuation and creative chaos
d) Redundancy
e) Requisite variety
III. The work of practitioners who decry a
prescriptive approach but offer guidelines
and practical hints as to how
organizations can develop a bespoke
approach.

A.) Systematic problem solving.

B.) Experimentation