Beliefs and Ideas Regarding a Learning Organization,

¶ … beliefs and ideas regarding a learning organization, including the definition of a learning organization, its characteristics, and what theory supports the philosophy of the learning organization. Today, many business leaders know organizational behavior has transformed offices and corporations to make them more competitive and profitable in the global economy. One form of organizational behavior that has become increasingly popular is the learning organization model.

Today, the theory of creating learning organizations is extremely popular. Some excellent examples of learning organizations include Honda, Rockwell, and General Electric, because they continually create innovation and an acceptance of change in their organizations. What exactly is a learning organization? One OB expert defines it this way: "A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights" (Goh, 1998). Thus, the most important elements of a learning organization are change and the ability to change their culture and their outlook.

Another expert continues, "To be successful, companies need to be committed to cultural change. 'If you don't approach it seriously, and don't look at it systematically, then you will waste time and effort and upset a lot of people,' O' Brien said. 'It's not something you can play around with'" (Bencivenga, 1995, p. 74). For a learning organization to be successful, the entire workforce, from the CEO on down, must be open and willing to change and grow.

The successful learning organization exhibits numerous characteristics. Primarily, the organization must be open to change. In addition, many experts agree that certain characteristics are essential for any organization to implement the learning ideal. Other characteristics of these organizations include opportunities to continually learn and acquire knowledge, reaching goals with learning, a strong link between individual and organizational performance, fostering investigation, and discussion, allowing the workforce to communicate honestly without fear of reprisal. They also welcome creative conflict as a foundation for creativity, power, and revitalization, and the organization should be constantly aware of and interrelate with their situation and environment (Rowden, 2001, p. 11). These characteristics may seem challenging at first, but the successful learning organization will foster these characteristics as it continually works toward change, growth, and an optimistic vision of the future.

The theory that supports the learning organization's philosophy is the theory that stagnation in a company is the catalyst for eventual failure. The most successful organizations always change with advancing technology and ideas. For example, General Electric's roots are as company constructing light bulbs and electrical apparatus, and it has broadened to become a global empire that includes aircraft engines, and even network television stations. This ability to diversify with changing market and business trends is the ultimate purpose of the successful learning organization. This idea is thoroughly based in competence-based strategy, where the model is increasing the organization's competence thereby increasing its success and its profitability. A learning organization's foundation is knowledge and competency of what is right and forward thinking for the organizational model.