Lecture 4 Organizational Learning and Learning Organization Erik

Lecture 4: Organizational Learning and Learning Organization Erik Perjons perjons@dsv. su. se

Individual Learning

Two major views of individual learning • A traditional and teacher centric way of learning – also called ”the transmission model” • A modern and more learner centric way of learning – also called the ”constructive learning”

Two major views on individual learning: The transmission model • According to this traditional model, knowledge should be transfered from the teacher (i. e. , the expert) to the learners (i. e. , the students) • The learners will memorising the knowledge that the teacher has presented. • The learners are rather passive in this model

Two major views on individual learning: Constructive learning 1(2) • According to constructive learning, which is a modern view on the learners, the learners should construct their knowledge themselves. • The teacher’s task is to create effective teaching and learning activities - called constructive learning practices - that support this way of learning. • Example of constructive learning practices: the learners should work with the learning material (for example, books, papers, tools etc) by creating reports that present the constructed knowledge • …

Two major views on individual learning: Constructive learning 2(2) • … • Example of constructive learning practices: Teachers and peers should provide feedback during the process • Example of constructive learning practices: Learning occures when individuals engage in social activities around shared tasks and problems – this is the base for social learning theory, but also see situated and experimental learning later in this presentation • The learners need to understand how their learning process works – that is, so called self-regulated learning should be promoted

Self-regulated learning 1(2) • Self-regulated learning - is the process of taking control and evaluate your own learning and behavior • Self-regulated learning - has proven to be very effective • Self-regulated learning - is guided by: – metacognition (that is, thinking about your own thinking), – strategic action (that is, planning, monitoring, and evaluating your own learning activities as well as assessing your personal progress against a standard), – motivation to learn

Self-regulated learning 2(2) • Self-regulated learners - have knowledge of their academic strengths and weaknesses • Self-regulated learners - have a repertoire of strategies they appropriately apply to tackle the day-to-day challenges of academic tasks • Self-regulated learners - believe that successes or failures are attributes to factors within their control, for example, effort they spend on a task, effective use of strategies, etc. That is, they believe they can be successful by acting in a certain way

Feedback • Feedback and feedback techniques are very useful for supporting constructive and self-regulated learning

Situated learning • Situated learning – is learning in a certain practice. That is, learning that take part in the same context as it is practiced • A major idea in situated learning - is that knowledge is embedded in the practice. Knowledge is not isolated from practice • See the case Patriotta: ”Knowledge-in-the-Making: The Construction of the Fiat’s Melfi Factory” presented in the end of this presentation • Closely related to situated learning is experimental learning

Experimental learning • Experimental learning – is about learning from doing instead of reading about it • Experimental learning – is, more precisely, learning from the reflection on doing, and, as in ELM (see next slide), creating abstract concepts base on that reflection • Experimental learning – focuses on the learner and the individual learning process

Experimental Learning Model 1(4) Active Experimentation Planing a new concrete experience based on implication drawn from the previous step Concrete Experience: Doing and thereby receiving a concrete experience Reflective observation of the experience Abstract Conceptualizing: Create new abstract concept based on the result of the reflection – from which new implication can be drawn

Experimental Learning Model 2(4) • Experiential Learning Model (ELM) - represents a spiral of learning for individuals • ELM - was developed by David Kolb and Ron Fry in the early 1970 s. • ELM - consist of four aspects of learning: concrete experience, observation of and reflection on that experience, formation of abstract concepts based upon the reflection, testing the new concepts • According to Kolb and Fry, learning can begin with any one of the four elements, but typically it begins with a concrete experience

Experimental Learning Model 3(4) • A faciltator/teacher can support the experimental learning process by asking questions, such as: – What happend? – Why did it happend? – What did you learn? – How can you use that? • The learner can use ELM to understand his/her strength and weaknesses in the learning process

Experimental Learning Model 4(4) • Criticizing ELM – ELM does not include motivation to learn – In reality reflection is often ignored – there is seldom time given for that

Sensemaking • Sensemaking - is the process of bridging a coginitve gap between an individual’s mental model based on previous experiences and new observations that do not fit this model. • Sensemaking - means that the gap is bridged by developing a changed and more refined mental model of the observed phenomena • Sensemaking - is often needed in ambigous situations of high complexity and uncertainty

Situational awareness • Sensemaking - is the process that leads to the outcome of ”situational awareness” • Situational awareness - is a state where individuals and organizations can understand the complex links between people, places, information, action and events - and how these things influence present and future goals - that is, the state allow individuals and organizations to make inferences of future scenarios and act accordingly

Team Learning

Team learning • Definitions: – Individual learning – can be view as the increased capacity of an individual to take effective actions (Kim, 1993) – Team learning - can be view as the increased capacity of the group to engage appropriately in dialog and discussion (Senge, 1990)

Dialog • Dialog - is a free and creative exploration of complex issues • Dialog - can be seen as a flock of birds taking flights – individuals in the flock are permitted to take of in another direction and others are then following – but everybody is in some way interconnected • Dialog - involves active listening • Dialog - includes that you observe your own thinking and go beyond your own understanding and assumption • Dialog - means treating each participant equally • Dialog - is useful for divergent thinking

Discussion • Discussion - means that different views are presented and defended with arguments • Discussion - often ends up in a conclusion and a course of action • Discussion - is a complement to dialog • Discussion - is useful for convergent thinking

Sensemaking again • Sensemaking has similarities to dialog – and sensemaking often make use of dialog

Three characteristic of effective team learning • Bring together the collective intelligence of the team instead of insights of dominant individuals • Provide innovative and coordinated actions, which implies alignments of minds among team members • Ability to share practices and skills betweem teams

Argote • Regarding team learning – also check the chapter of Argote

Organizational Learning

Organizational learning Two different definitions for organizational learning: • Organizational learning - is the area studying of how organizations learn based on their gained experiences (Vasenska, 2013). • Organizational learning - is the process of improving actions through better knowledge and understanding (Fiol&Lyles, 1985) • The area of organizational learning includes theories, models, methods and processes of organizational learning

Organizational learning • The processes of organizational learning include: – creating, – organizing, – retaining, – sharing/transferring, and – applying knowledge within an organizations (as well as between organizations). • These processes can be seen as adaptive as the organization learn from experiences.

Organizational learning • The knowledge in organizational learning could be anything that could improve an organization’s behavior, such as: – improve customer relations – increase number of promising innovations – make production more efficient, and – produce higher quality products

Organizational learning • The area of organizational learning is an important part of, or similar to, knowledge management - depending on the definitions of organizational learning and knowledge management respectively

Organizational learning • Organization learning is one of the three levels of learning, which are all studied and compared in the area of organizational learning: – Individual learning – Team learning – Organizational learning

Organizational learning • The 4 I model Crossan et al, 1999) specify for each of the three levels of learning, the processes and outcome, thereby providing an understanding how they differs from each other: Level Process Outcome Individual learning Intuiting Interpreting Experiences Cognitive maps Team learning Integrating Shared understanding Mutual adjustment Organizational learning Institutionalizing Routines Processes Rules

Organizational learning models • Important models and theories in the area of organizational learning are: - SECI model - Single and double loop learning

SECI model • The SECI model can be viewed as organizational learning in form of a continuous learning process

Single loop learning SINGLE LOOP LEARNING The most common style of learning: Solve a problem by using a strategy and/or method, and if not solved use a different strategy and/or method. The learning style improve the system as it exists it finds strategies and methods within the given system Strategies and Methods What we do? Result What we get?

Double loop learning Assumptions Why we do what we do? Strategies and Techniques What we do? Result What we get? DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING Learning by analyzing the underlying assumption, goals, policies, values and/or beliefs behind what we do. If these change, the stategies and/or methods used need to be aligned with the changed assumptions, goals, policies, values and/or beliefs or changes, that is, new stategies and/or methods will be used

Single and double loop learning SINGLE LOOP LEARNING Assumptions Why we do what we do? Strategies and Methods What we do? DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING Result What we get?

Single and double loop learning • Chris Argyris coined the terms “Single Loop Learning” and “Double Loop Learning”. He claimed that these are two types of organizational learning • The terms were related to George Bateson´s concepts of first and second order learning.

Single loop learning • Single loop learning – is a learning that occurs when an organization solve problems by using strategies and/or methods within present assumptions, goals, policies, values and/or beliefs • Single loop learning - is a form of exploitation behavior, that is, learning to perform the same process better or faster • Single loop learning – is an approach similar to the behaviour perspective of learning as the latter view learning as a change in response based on stimuli such as positive reinforcement

Double loop learning • Double loop learning – is a learning that occurs when an organization solve a problem by first changing the assumptions, goals, policies, values and/or beliefs before deciding which strategies and/or methods to apply. • Double loop learning – is a form of exploration behavior, that is, experimenting with new strategies and processes to work differently • Double loop learning – is an approach similar to the cognitive perspective of learning as the latter view learning as a mental process (including perception, reasoning, memory) and is focusing on understanding the different levels of experiences and meaning

Single and double loop learning • An example: A firm’s sales numbers are decreasing dramatically • Single-loop learning: In this scenario, the sales force team is blamed. Therefore, measures were introduced to force the sales team to work harder. • Double-loop learning: In this alternative scenario, the underlying assumptions are questioned - such as the quality of the products and services. For example, the customer may find the products and services outdated, unappealing and non valuable. Therefore, the firm may decide to invest resources on developing more innovative and appealing products and services

How to measure organizational learning There are many way to measure organizational learning, such as: • Changes in organizational processes and practices that improve the behavior of the organization • Number of innovations, patents etc • . . .

The learning organization • A learning organization is an organization that support organizational learning and constantly adapt to its environment in order to be successful • The term was coined by Peter Senge

Peter Senge • Senge (1990) means that organizations should be like communities. The employees will, thereby, feel committed to the organization and work harder • In The Fifth Discipline (1990), Senge stated that a learning organization has five main characteristics, presented in the following slides

The Fifth Discipline • System thinking – is the thinking where an organization is seen as system, where all its parts must be analyzed at once, as a whole. The focus is on the relationships between the parts and to identify, analyze and manage the problems of these relationships

The Fifth Discipline • Personal mastery – is the empowerment of the employees by introducing organizational learning in the organization. This require, according to Senge, a culture of learning since learning cannot be forced upon individuals. The employees need to be committed to learn

The Fifth Discipline • Mental models – are the models (in the head of the employees) that guide the actions of the employees. These models need, according to Senge, to be challenged in order to create an open organizational culture supporting organizational learning

The Fifth Discipline • Shared vision – is a long term goal that need to be developed to create a common identity and a culture motivating employees to learn. The employees’ own personal goals need to be aligned with this vision

The Fifth Discipline • Team learning – the organizations need to facilitate team learning, which require that the organizations create structures that support dialogues and discussions, and thereby an open communication and a shared understanding. Team learning improve problem solving capacities and learning practices in an organization

Critics againts the concept of the learning organisation • It is difficult to find learning organizations in real life • Learning initiatives, which is the focus of the learning organization, are not enough for transforming an organization, since the work practices and processes need to be changed as well • There is too much focus on culture in Senges’ description. In order to transform an organization, the work practices and processes need to be considered as well [Finger & Brand, 1999]

The adaptive or agile organisation • The concepts of learning organization is closely related to the concepts of adaptive and the agile organization • An adaptive organization is an organization that is adapting its behavior when needed because of changes in the environment. • Therefore, an adaptive organization needs to monitor and senses signals from its environment • Similar, an agile organization is an organization that sense environmental changes and respond accordingly (Overby et al, 2006)

Case: Patriotta: ”Knowledge-in-the-Making: The Construction of the Fiat’s Melfi Factory” • An advanced experiment at the Fiat plant in Melfi, with the goal of changing the traditional way of working in Fiat plants and instead introducing a holistic view on work practices: – choosing non-experienced workers (i. e. green workers); instead of choosing experienced – apply a social technical system approach, focus on the workers interaction with the technical system; instead of focus on just management and/or just the technical system –…

Case: Patriotta: ”Knowledge-in-the-Making: The Construction of the Fiat’s Melfi Factory” –… – apply team work and promote the construction of knowledge – and this construction of knowledge is done in teams – the teams were responsible for designing the structure of the plant (i. e. , working spaces, etc) – the teams were resposnible for designing the business and production processes of the plant

Case: Parise&Prusak: ”Partnership for Knowledge Creation” • Critical Success Factors (CSF) for creation of knowledge through partnership: – Build trust. Develop a working relationsship with the partners in order to foster and maintain trust. Select the right persons in the alliance team. OBS! Do not change important persons since they are important for foster and maintain trust – Built awareness and transparancy. Build awareness and transparancy with the partner. Review meeting results regularly, including summerise knowledge/lesson learned. Understand the partners’ goals, values and resources –…

Case: Parise&Prusak: ”Partnership for Knowledge Creation” • Critical Success Factors (CSF) for creation of knowledge through partnership: –… – Identify and communicating learning objectives. Identify and communicate the alliance’s learning objectives constantly. – Knowledge management. Review meeting results regular, including summerise lesson learned. Introduce a person that have information where the knowledge exists among the partners