Transition To Organizational Learning

In order for a business to be successful it must become a learning organization. The business must transition from individual to organizational learning. Organizational learning Garvin defines as “a process of detecting and correcting errors, and the process of improving actions through better knowledge and understanding.” The way organizational learning occurs is through shared insights, knowledge, and mental models, builds on past knowledge and experience that is on memory. During my time at my employer I have been able to identify if my company is a learning organization. I have discovered that we are not a learning organization. We are in the transition of becoming one, but we have many stubborn employees who are unwilling to change their …show more content…
We must adopt the applying information theory, which is described by Garvin as one of the stages of learning. Action is of vital importance for improvements to be made in an organization. Garvin states “Action is essential; if an entity does not purposefully modify its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights, it does not qualify as a learning organization.” There is no purpose of obtaining new information if we are not going to use it. Garvin recommends two steps for the applying information theory; “Managers must translate their interpretation into concrete behaviors and must then ensure that a critical mass of the organization adopts the new activities.” I ‘ve noticed when new knowledge is introduced, my co-workers who have been in the company for over 30 years choose to stick to the company’s traditional practices and not adapt to the new practices. This theory is relevant to my company’s issue because it provides solutions to help overcome the behavioral barriers with our …show more content…
I thought maybe they just wanted to give my supervisors a hard time, but I have now discovered the learning barriers that can be presented in applying new information. To avoid this situation from precluding I would communicate with my subordinates more often and take into account all of their feedback. I would try to meet with my employees individually in the event they are not comfortable expressing themselves in a group setting. The advice I would give to an incoming manager/supervisor is take the time to build a relationship with their employees. Relationships with employees are of vital importance in the success of an organization. The goal is to change the culture of the organization to a learning organization. By building a relationship with your employees this will foster a supportive culture. Employees will feel that their superior actually values their work and have a shift in their behavior. There will be a comfort level for employees to express their feelings. Garvin has expressed “even with a supportive culture, employees will resist new ideas if they believe they will be penalized for anything less than perfection. Errors, mistakes and occasional failures must be accepted-embraced even if learning