Organizational Learning and Learning

Organizational Learning Assessment of the Organization's Culture as it Relates to Shared Knowledge The Current Organizational Learning Mechanism(s) (OLMs) that hinder organizational learning Replacement of Suitable OLM The Source(S) That Currently Prevent Productive Learning Assessment of the Organization's Culture as it Relates to Shared Knowledge For this part, we consider a multinational retailing company that operates through a large number of chain stores and supermarkets in many stores spread across at least three continents.

The company's organizational structure is such that they have a strict system of hierarchy where subordinates report directly to their managers. The company is assumed to have a linear structure and has a system of information transmission that is top down as well as bottom up. However there is scope for transmission of information for only those who are designated to do so. Therefore not everyone is allowed to be a part of the information flow chain.

Additionally, the extent of participation is also limited strictly according to the defined roles of the individual employees. The organization also has a multicultural workforce. Researchers have pointed out that for the purpose of promoting an environment of innovation, it is imperative that the organizational culture is in tuned to that end. The way the things are done within an organization is expressed by its organizational culture (Forcadell & Guadillas, 2002).

On the other hand organizational learning is a culture within the organization that promotes sharing of knowledge as well as its assimilation by the receivers. Such information sharing needs to operate within the scope of the organization's knowledge demands (Tidd, Bessant, & Pavitt, 2001). As is evident from the preliminary discussion, there is a lack of process for knowledge sharing and assimilation within the organization being analyzed.

The primary issues in this organization are that there is no culture of information sharing as well as no established mechanism for sharing of thoughts and knowledge. Additionally, there is a discernable cultural divide within the organization due to the multicultural nature of the workforce. There is a disconnect between organizational culture and learning in terms of treating the organization as people and expecting the elements in the organization people will learn from the experiences and mistakes like people do in general.

For example, though there is a formal guideline to act in times of some types of crisis, there is no mechanism to note down and emphasize reactions to all situations (Aagaard, 2013). There is also the mystification of visionaries and skeptics where there is generally a lot of dichotomy and dilemma in the minds of the employees about what to do in particular situations. There is a definite lack of encouragement to innovating thinking and putting the thinking into action due to criticisms.

The confusion is heightened when there are vague visionary directions on the same issues without any particular direction. Active mystification is another issue that creates a disconnect between organizational learning and its culture. Active mystification essentially refers to the appeal of the concept of organizational learning compared to its actual implementation.

For example, at the organization being discussed, this concept seems to be very appealing to the managers in the organization who often mention this topic during conversations and what it means in terms of their work instead of what it actually can do for the organization. In other words it's often talked about but not put to practice.

The Current Organizational Learning Mechanism(s) (OLMs) that hinder organizational learning At the current moment, the organization being analyzed is paralyzed in conducting organizational learning due to a lack of systems and structures. Organizations that exhibit a learning culture tend to have set systems and structures which have the characteristics to interact with and emphasize teamwork (Antonacopoulou, 2006). Such structures also promote strong lateral relations and collaborate internally as well as externally with the firm. These systems and structures ultimately make sure the evaluative inquiry success.

For ideal learning organizations, a system and structure are generally in a place where employees and teams tend to get recognized and often rewarded for having undertaken risk or for experimenting and innovating and for encouraging team learning. These structures also ensure that employees understand the goals of their performance and align them with those of the organization (Preskill & Torres, 1999).

Taking the case of the organization under consideration, this Organization Learning Mechanism is absent and is therefore a hindrance in the manner that there is no encouragement for individuals or teams to get recognized for risk taking and innovation and there is no established easy mechanism for sharing of knowledge within the organization (Rogers, 2012).

Replacement of Suitable OLM As was discussed in the earlier section the organization being analyzed for organizational learning prospects has a lack of or hindrance to learning from its structure and systems that tend not to recognize the individual employees or teams or provide rewards for risk taking or innovating. This has not created a culture of knowledge sharing and has dissuaded individuals from taking risks and innovating at work.

Hence while it is true that they can exist several individual instances and cases of learning within the organization, there is certainly no structure and mechanism that can translate or distribute that knowledge to others so that others are also able to learn from sharing of the experiences and knowledge. Hence there is definitely a need to make a change in terms of the organizational learning mechanism that is in place. Now this trend or organizational learning mechanism can be replaced by the offline internal OLMs.

The reason for this selection this OLM is that the assumptions in this OLM where it is assumed that organizations gather knowledge at the individual level and which often contribute to their success and therefore critical reflection on the past experience by individuals or a team or the organization as a whole can help in generating knowledge that would be beneficial for the entire organization.

Another assumption is that reflection of past experiences is best carried out by those very same people who had experienced it so that the best narrative is brought out. Despite the assumption of the challenge that individuals could be under pressure not to disclose the shortcomings, this is a preferable OLM as the advantages outweigh the challenges (Rogers, 2012).

From the above discussions, it is clear that the organization being analyzed lacks structure and systems for encouragement and this OLM can be the exact mechanism that it would require to help to bring out the knowledge from work experience and share it with others contributing to.