Analysis and Synthesis of Academic and Practitioner Literature on Organizational Learning

¶ … Practitioner Literature on Organizational Learning

The concept of organizational learning has generated significant attention in the recent past because of the increased complexities of the modern business environment that are attributable to societal changes, particularly rapid technological developments. However, there is lack of consensus on the actual definition of organizational learning and how the process should take place. Despite this lack of consensus, there is academic and practitioner literature on the concept that seeks to provide a scholarly and practice-oriented perspective on the issue respectively. Practitioner literature on organizational learning is largely practice-oriented and prescriptive literature that was disseminated mainly by consultants and practitioners in today's organizations and business environment (Newberry, 2008, p.20).

Practitioner literature on organizational learning seemingly focuses on the practicality of the concept and its related outcome. Authors that focus on organizational learning from a practice-oriented perspective all use the tern learning organization to describe their specific application of organizational learning by a practitioner. Based on this literature, organizational learning involves establishing the constant ability by an organization to adapt and change, which implies that it enables all its members to learn while deliberately transforming itself and operational context. Practitioner literature on organizational learning also defines the concept as the capability of an organization to constantly discover new ways of creating its reality and expanding its capability to determine the future.

The existing practitioner literature combines loop learning with the consideration of an organization as an organic system. In this case, organizational learning process entails active evaluation of organizational assumptions, objectives, and courses of actions by its members. Double-loop learning incorporates by practitioners in organizational learning entails solving difficult problems (Cors, 2003). The practitioner perspective of organizational learning is associated with systems models in which the approach comprises five major disciplines i.e. personal mastery, shared vision, systems thinking, team learning, and mental models. Systems thinking do not consider goals and objectives as stable since they are subject to change while many decisions are not guided by pre-determined intentions, which help in identification of new purposes. Through systems thinking, organizational learning models must be constantly invented, developed, and transformed based on external feedback. Personal mastery emphasizes the significance of individuals in the learning process necessitating the need for organizational members to be proficient in their personal and professional lives. Mental models are basically deeply help views of the functioning of the world that limits an individual's thinking patterns and actions. Team learning focuses on streamlining and enhancing a team's ability to generate desired results by members.

Review and Analysis of Academic Literature on Organizational Learning

Unlike practitioner literature on organizational learning, academic literature on this concept is largely skeptical scholarly work that is developed by academics. Academic literature on organizational learning basically consider the concept as a process that takes place when organizational members experience a difficult situation and inquire into it on behalf of the organization (Newton, 2008, p.21). During this process, organizational members experience a mismatch between desired and actual outcomes of organizational processes and respond to this through thinking and more action. This in turn prompts them to change their view of the organization or understanding of existing processes and operations. Organizational members then proceed to restructure or overhaul their activities in order to achieved desired goals and expectations, which helps transform the existing organizational theory. However, the inquiry that results in organizational learning amidst a problematic situation must be deeply rooted in the members' view of the organization and the organizational environment or context.

In essence, according to academic literature of organizational learning, the process begins with identification of a problematic or difficult situation, which is followed by taking necessary actions depending on the specific situation. According to scholars, organizational learning is largely dependent on the ability of organizational members to identify and rectify errors or problematic scenarios or situations. Once the difficult situations are identified, organizational members utilize single loop learning, which focuses on solving current problems. Single loop learning is utilized in this process because the detection and correction of a problem does not necessary generate changes in the organizational theory in use. In this case, the organizational theory in use relates to assumptions that govern the behaviors of organizational members based on their perceptions, thoughts, and feelings regarding the various activities and processes within the organization.

Therefore, the academic literature on organizational learning postulates that the process can be a rational and non-rational organizational trait. As a rational trait, the learning processes are logical from the organizational perspective since they are geared towards performance improvement that could generate a match between desired and actual outcomes in the long-term (Schulz & Baum, 2001). This match emerges from the corrective measures taken by the organizational members, which help align its arrangements and processes with environmental realities. As a non-rational trait, the learning processes are considerably complex and slow because of the relatively small differences in organizational parameters. This implies that the parameters are attributes that are more compatible with limited rationality or lack of rationality in organizational learning.

Synthesis of Literature on Organizational Learning

As evident in the previous reviews and analyses, academic literature and practitioner literature on organizational learning are seemingly different. A combination of these literatures demonstrates that organizational learning can be categorized into two i.e. skeptical scholarly process and practice-oriented process. Consequently, organizational learning involves single-loop and double-loop learning that is utilized in different situations depending on the specific factors being addressed and desired goals and objectives. Given the differences in academic and practitioner literature on this concept and process, organizational leaders seemingly differ in their perceptions of organizational learning depending on several conceptualizations. This difference is also attributable to the lack of a single conceptualization that effectively captures and combines academic and practitioner perceptions of organizational learning.