Learning organizations...are they only a new management trend?

CLASSICAL THEORIES OF LEARNING
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING (IVAN PAVLOV) What do you do when you hear a bell ring? Learning process in which a condition stimulus is associated with an unconditioned stimulus. Doesn´t work in all circumstances, but it has been useful for the treatment of phobias in humans and pets.	OPERANT CONDITIONING (B.F SKINNER) Behavior is modified due to the association of the behavior with a positive or negative consequence.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (BANDURA)	THE IMPORTANCE OF GOALS SETTING
Learning that emphasizes the importance of the social context and observational learning. very relevant to criminology, since Bandura stablished that criminals learn to be aggresive by observing others, they don´t inherit violent tendencies. (Bandura, 1976)	Goal setting marks the difference between people who eventually get what they have always wanted and those that will ever crave for their dreams… By establishing the desired results, behavior can be directed towards them more efficiently and with less confusion.

Learning organizations

Learning organizations are those organizations that promote the exchange of information among its members creating a more knowledgeable labor force. This results in an organization with flexible procedures and structures in which people have the ability of adapting to new circumstances easily and embracing new ideas quickly.

It is not only a concept or a trend used by MNC´s, it  becomes essential If companies want to conduct their businesses successfully in the turbulent waters of change and uncertainty in which we are living today.

Why learning organizations?

ü  Allows the members to adapt to new technologies (less rigidity, more openness)

ü  Better adaptive response in times of crisis

ü  Better open communication

ü  Social interaction among members can be improved

ü  To get through with mental models which can be harmful

ü  IMPORTANT: to create and sustain competitive advantages

How does organizational learning works?

*According to Peter Senge in the famous book ´´the fifth discipline:the art & practice of the learning organization´´ it works like this:

1. Personal mastery: clarifying personal vision and observing reality as it is.
2. Shared vision: ´´the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create´´(Senge, 1990)
3.  Mental Models: generalizations that influence how people act.
4. Team learning: aligning the capacities of the team to obtained the desired results.
5. Systems thinking: Discipline that integrates the theory and the practice

Question for the blog…

What is the relationship between organizational learning and individual satisfaction?

Organizational learning has a positive effect on individual job satisfaction, this type of organization encourages its members to learn, improve their skills, and participate in the decision making process; so when employees feel that they have an important role in the organization (they are not only pawns in a game) they will be encouraged to give more than they were asked to. Learning organizations appreciate and recognize the contributions and work of its members and this is essential for employees to feel happy about their jobs. As communications barriers are lowered, workers can be more aware of everything going on in other areas and departments, and this creates a sense of coherence across units of the company which also reinforces the belief of workers of being a vital part of the system.

References

Graham C. L. Davey. Classical conditioning and the acquisition of human fears and phobias. Advances in behavior research and therapy. Volume 14, issue 1, 1992, pages 29-66. Retrieved from: Science direct.

Bandura, A., & Ribes-Inesta, Emilio. (1976). Analysis of Delinquency and Aggression. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, INC: New Jersey. P 204

Peter Senge and the learning organization. (Online). Available at: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm. Accesed: May 16, 2011

learning organizations: why learning organizations work.(Online). Available at: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/MEAB/learning_organisation/why_learning.html. Accesed: May 16, 2011.

Learn-lead (Image). Available at: http://www.thesocialleader.com/2010/09/learning-organizations-competition-peter-senge/