Learning Organizations

1
Learning Organizations

• Saif Rahimuddin
• Shin Sesthalao
• Rishi Unadkat
• Nihar Unadkat
• MSE 608B Management of Engineering Professional
• September 2, 2008

2
Agenda

• Introduction / Agenda
• References / Sources
• Learning Organizations
• - Definitions / Peter Senge Concepts
• - Types of Learning
• - Why, How, and Who uses Learning Organizations
• - Challenges in Implementing
• Personal Experiences

3
References

• Peter Senge
• http//www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm
• http//www.infed.org/biblio/learning-organization
  .htm
• David Skyrme Associates
• http//www.skyrme.com/insights/3lrnorg.htm
• Edinburgh University
• http//www.see.ed.ac.uk/gerard/MENG/MEAB/lo_inde
  x.html
• Society for Organizational Learning
• http//www.solonline.org/organizational_overview/
  

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Definitions of Learning Organization

• The essence of organizational learning is the
  organizations ability to use the amazing mental
  capacity of all its members to create the kind of
  processes that will improve its own (Nancy Dixon
  1994)
• A learning company is an organization that
  facilitates the learning of all its members and
  continually transforms itself (M. Pedler, J.
  Burgoyne and Tom Boydell, 1991)
• The art and practice of the learning
  organization Peter Senge
• A Learning Organization should be able to
• - Adapt to its external environment
• - Continually enhance its capability to change
• - Develop collective as well as individual
  learning
• - Use the results of learning to achieve better
  results

5
Peter Senges Concepts of Learning Organization

• Systems thinking
• Personal mastery
• Mental models
• Building shared vision
• Team learning

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Peter Senges Concepts of Learning Organization

• 1. Systems thinking
• - Using feedback to determine areas of growth
  and limitations
• - Advocates creating system maps to see how
  everything connects
• - Geared toward the long-term viewpoints / goals
• 2. Personal mastery
• - Developing a personal vision of how things
  should be
• - Having a realistic viewpoint of how things
  currently are

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Peter Senges Concepts of Learning Organization

• 3. Mental models
• - Being able to reflect and determine what
  attitudes people have and how this affects ones
  decision making process.
• - Using this reflection to change oneself for
  the better
• 4. Building shared vision
• - Having a collective vision or purpose for the
  entire team
• - Setting team goals
• 5. Team learning
• - Use dialogue and discussion within a team to
  enhance the teams abilities so that it becomes
  greater than the sum of the individuals

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Types Of Learning

• Four Levels of Learning are
• Level 1 Learning the process and the
  procedures, by knowing the
• facts and gaining the knowledge of where an
  individual can
• apply minor changes to improve the level of
  learning.
• Level 2 Thinking outside the box, meaning
  learning new job skills
• that would help you or your organization reach
  the next level,
• (learning new skills that are transferable to
  other situations.)
• Level 3 Learning to apply from past lesson of
  success and failures to a
• more dynamic situations where the solutions
  need developing i.e. learning
• to adapt.
• Level 4 Learning to be innovative and
  creativity. Meaning trying to
• learning how to structure the future rather
  than to accept and adapt the
• situation that one maybe in. i.e. learning the
  to be self a learner.

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Tools and Techniques Used To Create A Learning
Organization

• Provide continuous and better learning
  opportunities.
• Use learning organization to make better choices
  in order reach your goals.
• Link individual performance with organizational
  performance.
• Making it safe for people to share openly and
  take risks.
• Embrace creative tension as a source of energy
  and renewal.
• Techniques to use continuously be aware of the
  interaction with your environment.

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Why should organizations become Learning
Organization

• For companies to be able to adapt to changing
• environments and stay ahead of their
  competition
• To improve the workforce skill-set
• To improve communication among employees
• To improve morale and productivity and make the
  employees
• feel like they are an important entity of the
  company.
• To overcome companies weaknesses and to utilize
  their
• strength more efficiently

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Who uses Learning Organization

• Learning organization can be utilized to any
  business, social, academic and individual
  environments, etc
• We will be focusing on
• i. Public business sector
• ii. Private business sector
• iii. Academic sector

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Challenges In Implementing Learning Organization

• The challenges facing managers
• Effort needed to learn some of the new skill and
  techniques
• Getting the best out of every employee
• Learning can be expensive for the company. Its an
  investment, for instance ISO9000, UL, CE

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Challenges In Implementing Learning Organization
(Continue)

• What if learning organization is not implemented
• Overtaken by the competitors
• Become inefficient
• Fail to embrace new ideas and increase
  productivity
• Survival of the fittest

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Learning Organization Example In A Public
Business Sector (City of Los Angeles)

• How the City is an Learning Organization
• 1. Many Departments offer tuition reimbursement
  for employees to
• pursue higher degrees and are flexible in
  accommodating school schedules
• 2. Encourage involvement in professional
  organizations (e.g. ITE, IEEE,
• ASCE) and obtaining professional licenses
• 3. City offers its own training seminars and
  often pays for consultants to
• conduct training sessions
• 4. Many sections have team environments where
  senior members train new
• hires.
• 5. Civil service protection and city environment
  allow SOME employees the
• freedom to experiment and develop new
  technological advances

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Learning Organization Example In A Public
Business Sector (City of Los Angeles)

• Impediments in the City becoming a better
  Learning Organization
• 1. Civil Service process does not effectively
  deal with ineffective employees
• 2. City bureaucracy (e.g. to order new equipment,
  enormous amount of paperwork
• and time can be required)
• 3. City politics can make goals and objectives
  change all the time
• 4. Hiring / Promotion process does not always
  lead to the best persons being
• selected.
• 5. Limitations in the salary structure make it
  difficult to retain some employees (to
• create positions or make salary changes it has to
  be approved by the city council)
• Repercussions of not becoming an Learning
  Organization
• If the city cannot perform a task it must seek
  help from the private sector. This
• creates problems with exposing critical city
  functions or processes to outside
• agencies.

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Learning Organization Example In A Private
Business Sector (Software)

• Learning to be self taught Meaning leaning to
  learn different job skill for
• different types of situations and pressure.
• Learning to be absorbent Meaning learning to be
  aware of the resources and
• tools that you can use to help do your job.
• Learning new Technical tool Attending seminars,
  getting a higher education
• degree be going to school. Willing to take the
  next step to move to the next level.
• Learning to learn from your priers showing
  enthusiasm to your co-works who
• have been working for the company for 10 to 15
  years and showing the
• willingness to learn from them.
• Learning to be creative to new situations and
  showing willingness to adapt to it.

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Learning Organization Example In A Private
Business Sector (Hardware)

• Learning is a necessity and a way of life
• Engineers have to be up to date and always one
  step ahead of their competitors
• Competition between engineers within the company
• Constant work load and pressure
• Project dead-lines, traveling, customer service

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Learning Organization Example In A Private
Business Sector (Hardware)

• Learning curve is very steep
• Working extra overtime hours with no pay
• Need to be adaptive to the pressurized and
  stressful environment.
• Learning is encouraged where companies offer full
  re-imbursement, sometimes offer 50
  re-imbursement and certain cases dont offer
  re-imbursement at all.

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Learning Organization Example In A Academic
Sector (Studying)

• Instructor roles as manager
• To be a better team, Using the 5 disciplines of
  Peter Senge
• Using Learning Organization tools and techniques
• Learning Organizations concepts is fit to
  Academic Sector
• No Barrier from different graduation levels
• Barriers from different cultures

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• THANK YOU
• ANY QUESTIONS