Problem
According to Ford (2021, p.4),
Learning is typically thought of as rooted in individual learners. Certainly, learning as indicated by changes in knowledge and skills, occurs within an individual. Nevertheless, individuals are part of groups of workers, groups of workers form departments and functions, departments and functions are embedded within an organization, and organizations are embedded within types of industries and societies. Because organizations consist of multiple levels, any event or action should be viewed within their larger context. This means that learning and development activities cannot be considered in isolation from influences from other levels.
This quote gets at the heart of our reading and videos this week--as we continue to shift our focus in this course from foundational adult learning and development theories that help us understand how people learn and point to some of the factors that shape that process--to a focus on how learning takes place in organizations within the context of teams, departments, the entirety of an organizational staff, as well as within the context of external stakeholders and other forces outside of an organization that impact what takes place within the organization.
Making that shift from thinking about learning in individual terms to thinking about it in organizational terms is also well articulated by Dr. Linda Hill in the video "How Do You Build a Learning Organization?" (2015). Nigel Paine's video "How Organizations Build a Learning Culture" (2018) builds on this notion by arguing that learning in organizations not only involves the collective, it requires the larger organizational group. And this perspective on learning that acknowledges the optimal "all for one, one for all" orientation towards learning in organizations values core human relations principles we teach and learn about in our HRL major featuring trust, engagement, autonomy (and respect), and collaborative good will.
Think about an organization where you have worked. This can be a current or prior workplace.
I. To what extent does the organization seem to meet the criteria of a "learning organization?" What is the evidence of this? As you respond, please make sure to define what is meant by "learning organization" from course materials this week. Please describe at least two examples of ways in which you organization does or does not meet the criteria of a learning organization.
II. To what extent does the organization meet the criteria of having a "learning culture?" What is the evidence of this? As you respond, make sure to define what is meant by "learning culture" from course materials thisweek. Describe at least two examples of ways in which you organization does or does not meet the criteria of a having a learning culture.
III. In an ideal world, what do you imagine it would take for your organization to succeed at developing a positive learning culture and to strive to become a learning organization? What would need to happen to achieve this goal?