” learning organization ” or “learning institution,” which is the organization that has the ability to acquire knowledge and transfer it among its employees by creating a work environment that encourages and supports continuous learning, which helps the organization face rapid changes and developments in the organization’s external environment. The organization can be a learning organization by transforming the culture of the organization into one that supports learning and allows its employees to learn through experience, by taking risks in implementing and applying new ideas, and by supporting the behavior of sharing and spreading new knowledge and teaching it to all employees of the organization to benefit from and apply it in their daily activities.
Benefits of learning organizations
- Provides opportunities for continuous learning.
- Learning is used to achieve its goals.
- Link individual performance to organizational performance. It links resources to customer needs. Results are improving at all levels.
- It adopts an inquiry and dialogue approach and creates a safe environment for employees to share their ideas openly.
- She embraces creative tension and considers it a source of energy and renewal.
- It maintains a certain level of innovation and is always competitive.
- You have a constant awareness of the surrounding environment and interact with it, so you can respond better to external pressures.
- It increases the speed of change within it.
Features or attributes of the learning organization
- A culture of collaborative learning and systematic thinking (systems thinking): where every individual in the organization is valued and plays a vital role in the comprehensive work framework, considering the organization as a system consisting of a group of units that come together to form a comprehensive entity. The management of the organization should seek to understand the system as a whole and each component of it. She must also respect different points of view and any idea, whatever it is.
- The mentality of permanent learning and personal mastery (personal Mastery): The learning organization requires a forward-looking or forward-thinking mentality at the level of individuals, which includes mastery or personal mastery. That is, the learning individuals in the organization adopt a permanent learning perspective with an appreciation of the importance of continuous growth and learn practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to the real-world environment.
- The field of innovation and mental models: This feature has two parts: First, the learning company must assess its existing knowledge through reflection and self-reflection, with the goal of challenging the limiting beliefs that hold it back, adapting to the bigger picture, and contributing to the common good. Second, the learning company should be encouraged to test new theories and methods. And risk-taking is an important part of the equation, as it allows employees to learn from their mistakes and continually improve.
- Forward-thinking Leadership and Shared Vision: Enthusiasm and dedication always start at the top of the company. Leaders, managers, supervisors, and coaches must all be committed to the process of continuous learning and have a shared vision that enables them to unite and set an example for the members of their teams. This is done by challenging assumptions, encouraging self-reflection, allowing employees to make mistakes to learn from and use as a basis for innovation, and so on.
- Knowledge Sharing and Team Learning: Collaboration is the secret to success in organizational learning. Everyone must know the learning goals and desired results, and everyone should work as a complete team to solve problems in order to achieve these results. This calls for an infrastructure of shared knowledge.
Building learning organizations
Building a learning organization requires several steps:
- The first step is to create an environment that is conducive to learning, allowing time for reflection, analysis, strategic planning, discussing customer needs, evaluating existing business systems, and creating new products. Training in brainstorming, problem-solving, appraisal, and other basic learning skills is an essential component of this environment.
- The second step is to open borders and stimulate the exchange of ideas. through meetings and project teams that extend to all levels of the organization or that connect the company with its customers and suppliers.
- After creating an open support environment, leaders can create learning forums. They are programs or events designed based on clear learning objectives, such as conferences and seminars that bring together customers, suppliers, external experts, or internal groups to share ideas and learn from each other, among other programs and events.
Through these steps, the organization will be able to raise the barriers, advance the process of continuous learning, and raise it to higher levels, in addition to shifting its focus from continuous improvement to a commitment to continuous learning. By combining this with a better understanding of the meaning, management, and measurement of learning, solid foundations can be built for building learning organizations.
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