Learning Organisation: An Effect on Organisational Performance

Introduction

A learning organization is an institution, which has the skills to change behaviour in order to form new information and understanding through the creation, gathering and transfer of information based on a continuous learning cycle. Organizations that could shed light on the future are those with learning capacity and enthusiasm and are able to form and use valid and reliable information. It is essential for the staff of an organization to be open to innovation and learning, in order to increase service quality, and convey the impact of being a learning organization to the forefront. Similar to the growing importance of being learning organizations in all fields and institutions, it is also gaining importance in educational institutions in terms of reforming information and adapting to change (Volante, 2010). Especially, gaining awareness of the characteristics of learning organizations can result in dynamism and innovation, as well as increased motivation and enthusiasm in the institutions (Tasargöl, 2013).

Organizations include multiple and intricate networks of relationships, which are sustained through communication and other forms of feedback with varying degrees of inter-dependence. With the rapid pace of growth, organizations face some challenges in training and retaining the intellectual capital of their workforce. First, due to the rapidly changing technologies, there is a need for continuous adaptation and retraining of the employees. Second, the training has to address a wide range of people with different backgrounds and abilities, ranging spectrum of needs and availability of time to study, etc. Further, as these learners are adults with considerable experience and awareness of what they would like to learn, training methods need to evolve to meet the needs of a modern knowledge society (Minch & Tabor, 2003). In addition, organizations are facing a number of key changes that focus attention on efficiency in relation to delivery methods. New opportunities are being offered by information technology (IT) which could facilitate major changes in the delivery of training and provide greater flexibility for learning (Littejohn & Watson, 2004).

In the digital age where information is regarded as the most important power, learning can be considered as an effective process of collecting, developing and transferring information (Alipour & Karimi, 2011). The concept of the learning organization has been linked to innovation and performance in organizations (Power & Waddell, 2004). The capacity for change and continuous improvement to meet the challenges in the environment in which organizations operate has been associated with the capability of these organizations to learn (Armstrong & Foley, 2003). Thus, organizations that learn will be able to keep abreast with developments and improvements in the business environment to operate successfully.

Organizations of the future will not survive without becoming communities of learning. It is absolutely essential for organizations to learn from their environments, to continually adjust to new and changing market dynamics, and just as is the case with the individual, to learn how to learn from an uncertain and unpredictable future. Continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning. Solving a problem, introducing a product, and reengineering a process all require seeing the world in a new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, organizations and individuals simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived.