A highly resilient organization is a LEARNING organization. Learning organizations exhibit five (5) main characteristics:
- system thinking,
- personal mastery,
- mental models,
- a shared vision, and
- team learning
Systems Thinking
The idea of the learning organization developed from a body of work called systems thinking. Learning organizations use this method of thinking when assessing their organizations and have information-gathering systems that measure the performance of the organization as a whole and of its various components.
The concept of 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, some authors believe that the characteristics of a learning organization are factors that are gradually acquired, rather than developed simultaneously. Recommendations in accident reports and corrective actions from nearmiss reports should attempt to move the organization forward in one of these five characteristics.
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. Individual learning is acquired through staff training and development; however, learning cannot be forced upon an individual who is not receptive to learning. Research shows that most learning in the workplace is incidental and through on-the-job training, rather than the product of formal training. Therefore, it is important to develop a culture where personal mastery is practiced as a way of 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.
Mental Models
The assumptions held by individuals and organizations are called mental models (Ladder of Inference). To become a learning organization, these models must be challenged. Individuals tend to espouse theories, which are what they intend to follow, but their actions, or theories-in-use, are what they actually do. Similarly, organizations tend to have “memories” which preserve certain behaviors, norms, and values. In creating a learning environment, it is important to replace confrontational attitudes with an open culture that promotes inquiry and trust.
In order to achieve an open culture, the learning organization needs mechanisms for locating and assessing organizational theories of action. Nearmiss reporting and crew resource management are two tools to achieve a more inquiring and trusting culture. Equally important for a learning organization is to identify and discard unwanted values in a process called “unlearning.” As with individuals, this is very hard for organizations to accomplish and requires much patience and critical thinking.
Shared Vision
The development of a shared vision is important in motivating employees to learn. It creates a common 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 (similar to the shared mental model in Chapter 5) can be hindered by traditional structures where the company vision is imposed from above. Therefore, learning organizations tend to have flat, decentralized organizational structures.
Team Learning
The accumulation of individual learning constitutes team learning. The benefit of team or shared learning is that employees 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. 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 the creation, acquisition, dissemination, and implementation of this knowledge in the organization.
