Exploring The Art and Benefits of the Non-Traditional, Learning Organization

A learning organization is one that challenges the abilities, skills and knowledge, of all employees at every level within an organization.  Employees are given the opportunity to learn continuously as agreed upon by the company CEO along with upper management. Learning organizations are known to encourage its employees to render suggestions and ideas that could ultimately enhance the success of the business.  The learning organization is not the traditional hierarchy organization where the CEO and upper management sell a vision to its workers, but instead, everyone in the organization works together to attain shared visions and goals. However, everyone must be willing to work together in order for it to be plenty successful.  Understandably, this may not be the ideal structure for all companies but learning organizations acquire increased performance and greater competency among its workers than do the traditional operations.

Peter Senge, an expert on this subject and one of the leading writers in the discipline of organizational learning, and the author The Fifth Discipline, suggests that there are five disciplines to creating a learning organization: system thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared visions, and team learning.

System Thinking- is the ability to see the big picture

Personal Mastery- is focusing on becoming the best person you can be

Mental Models- focusing on openness and mental elasticity

Building Shared Visions- having genuine visions that elicits long term commitment that has the power to bind an organization together

Team Learning- employees work and learn together to attain desired goals

Each discipline is essential in the aspired success of organizational learning.  Even though some organizations may not feel compelled to convert to organizational learning, we should keep in mind that there are some great benefits to improving performance and competency in the company.  Let’s explore some of the benefits of a learning organization.  Some benefits are: high job satisfaction among workers, increased productivity, high employee morale, improvement of performance quality and output, employee retention and low turnover, in-house promotions, increased marketability, advanced competition, and satisfied customers.

When employees are involved in the decision making process they will more than likely remain loyal to the company. And when an employee learns that his or her ideas and suggestions will be used to better the company this increases morale. Employees will be satisfied with their jobs and will not be so tempted to leave the company but will establish a long-term commitment to the company.  When employees understand how things work in the company from management’s point of view they may be more inclined to work harder to achieve organizational success.   

Building and sharing the company visions will no doubt increase employee morale among workers.  And when employees are open to leaning and working together it strengthens the company overall. This is not to say that there will not be some conflicts and problems attaining desired goals at times but these things will work out eventually because everyone sees the big picture and the rewards in personal mastery. Continuous learning is good for the company in that it keeps its employee highly marketable and of great value by engaging them in the overall operation of the business. The employees are a true reflection of the company and the company is a reflection of its employees. Simply put, both the company and the employees can benefit tremendously from organizational learning.