Introduction to Organizational Learning

1. Organizational Learning
Instructor: Ms. Chhavi Jatana
Presented by: Nupur Jha (17) || Prachi Singla (18)
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2. Organizational Learning
• Organizational learning is concerned with
the development of new knowledge or
insights that have the potential to
influence behavior.
• Marsick (1994): Organizational learning is
a process of: ‘Coordinated systems
change, with mechanisms built in for
individuals and groups to access, build
and use organizational memory, structure
and culture to develop long-term
organizational capacity.
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3. Need of Organizational Learning
Synchronizing with Quick Evolution
Answer Environmental Stimuli
Organizational Optimizing
Developing in a Dynamic Way
Competitive Advantage in Strategic
Management
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4. Obtaining Permanent Competitive Advantage
Improving Performance
Human Sources Empowerment
Creativity and Innovation
Improving Individual and Group Behaviors
Improving Efficiency
Improving Organizational Activities
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5. Levels of Learning
Organization
Group
Individual
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6. Individual Learning
Behaviourism
• Behaviorists assume that the
behavior is a function of its
consequences i.e. positive
reinforcement is likely to result in
the desired behavioral outcome.
• Much competence-based training
is based on this approach.
Competence approaches are useful
for repetitive tasks but can be rigid
and mechanical and lack higher
order learning
Cognitive Theory
• Learning is a change in states of
knowledge rather than a change in
the probability of response
(behaviorists).
• This information processing
perspective laid an emphasis on
problem solving.
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7. Constructivist Perspective
• Constructivists sees learning as a
process where individuals develop
new ideas based on their current
and past knowledge and
experiences.
• Learning occurs when individuals
engage in social activity and
conversations around shared tasks
and problems.
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8. Kolb’s (1984) Learning Cycle
Individual learning is
defined as:
"Increasing one’s capacity
to take effective action.”
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9. Stages of Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Concrete Experience
• You must do it yourself for learning to occur
Reflective Observation
• Taking step back from doing to reflect and review.
Abstract Conceptualization
• Here you fit what you have just learned into everything you already know.
Active Experimentation
• Happens when you consider how you will put what you have learned into practice.
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10. Styles of Kolb’s Learning
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Diverging (Feeling and watching)
• Prefer to watch than do
• Like working in groups
Assimilating (Watching & Thinking)
• Enjoy ideas but less interested in people
• Enjoy ideas but not their practical application
Converging (Doing & Thinking)
• Enjoy ideas and theory and also solving practical problems
Accommodating (Doing & Feeling)
• Prefer learning through doing
• Prefer to use their gut feel rather than a detailed analysis

11. Team Learning
The capacity of the group to engage appropriately in dialogue and
discussions. Three characteristics of effective team learning:
Ability to think
insightfully about
complex issues and bring
together the collective
intelligence of the team
Ability to provide
innovative and
coordinated action
Ability to share practices
and skills between
teams in organizations
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12. Team Learning
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13. Types of Organizational Learning (Argyris, 1992)
Single Loop/Adaptive
• Incremental learning that does no
more than correct deviations from the
norm by making small changes and
improvements without challenging
assumptions, beliefs or decisions.
• Organizations where single-loop
learning is the norm, define the
‘governing variables’ i.e. what they
expect to achieve in terms of targets
and standards, and then monitor and
review achievements and take
corrective action as necessary, thus
completing the loop.
Double Loop/Generative
• It involves challenging assumptions,
beliefs, norms and decisions rather
than accepting them.
• It occurs when the monitoring process
initiates action to redefine the
‘governing variables’ to meet the new
situation, which may be imposed by
the external environment.
• Far deeper than the traditional
learning loop provided by single-loop
or instrumental learning
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Single Loop/Adaptive Double Loop/Generative

14. Single Loop & Double Loop
Learning
Easterby-Smith and Araujo (1999) Single-
loop learning could be ‘where an
organization tries out new methods and
tactics and attempts to get rapid
feedback on their consequences in order
to be able to make continuous
adjustments and adaptations’. In
contrast, double-loop learning is
associated ‘with radical change, which
might involve a major change in strategic
direction, possibly linked to replacement
of senior personnel, and wholesale
revision of systems’.
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15. Other Types of Organizational Learning
Dawes (2003)
• Hereditary learning: it points at a
science, which has been created by
organization founders.
• Experiential learning: it considers a
science, which is obtained through
experience, which can be obtained on
purpose or by chance.
• Vicarious learning: It points at the
second hand experience, which has
been done by the people out of an
organization.
Marquardt (2002)
• Adaptive learning: A person, group or
organization learn through experience
and evaluation (their previous
performance).
• Forward-looking learning:
Organization learns through
prospective futures.
• Practical learning: working on real
issues, focusing on the obtained
science and real performance of
solutions
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16. Other Types of Organizational Learning
(Argyris and Schon, 1978)
• Monocyclic learning: this kind of learning happens when organization members answer the
environment through finding errors and correcting them.
• Two-cyclic learning: this kind of learning not only controls current processes, but also includes
correcting culture, policies, goals, strategies and organizational structure.
• Three-cyclic learning (twofold): it is based on changing methods and requires people’s conceptual
reflection
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17. 4I Framework of Organizational Learning
The 4I framework of organizational learning contains four related (sub)processes-intuiting,
interpreting, integrating, and institutionalizing-that occur over three levels: individual, group, and
organization.
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18. 4I Framework of Organizational Learning
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• Intuiting: subconscious process that often requires some form of pattern
recognition. It supports exploration. Metaphors and imagery can help provide
that language to communicate one’s insight to someone else.
• Interpreting: process of explaining through words and/or actions an insight or an
idea to one’s self or to another person. Cognitive maps play a major role in
interpretation and conflicting interpretations.
• Integrating: this learning process is about developing shared understanding and
taking coordinated action through mutual adjustment. Group dialogue and
storytelling are major tools.
• Institutionalizing: learning process to ensure routinized actions occur. Such
routines have an effect on systems, structures, and strategies. Endurance of the
behavior over a period of time is what characterize institutionalization.

19. Unlearning (Hedberg, 1981)
Unlearning is a process through which learners discard knowledge.
Unlearning makes way for new responses and mental maps’
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Recognize that the
old mental model is
no longer relevant
or effective
Find Or Create A
New Model That
Can Better Achieve
Your Goals
Ingrain the new
mental habits

20. Social Perspective of OL (Gherardi & Nicolini, 2001)
• Learning takes place
through interactions
between people shaped by
cultural norms.
• Social and political
processes impact on
organization's ability to
absorb new knowledge and
practices.
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21. Ability of organizations to
absorb and apply new
knowledge.
Capacity to learn and solve
problems.
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Absorptive Capacity

22. Organizational Learning V/S Learning Organizations
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23. Toyota: The Five Whys
The company looks at every problem as an opportunity to identify root causes and develop
countermeasures. They use a method called “the five whys.”
It goes like this:
• There is a puddle of oil on the floor —-> Clean up the puddle.
• WHY is there a puddle of oil on the floor? Because the machine is leaking oil. Fix the
machine.
• WHY is the machine leaking oil? Because the gasket has deteriorated. ——> Replace the
gasket.
• WHY has the gasket deteriorated? Because we bought inferior gaskets. —–> Order
different gaskets next time and so on.
• Do you see how the organization as a whole has learned from this experience? Individual
managers might have been the people to ask those “WHYs,” but they transferred the
knowledge to their organization by changing policies and procedures based on what they
learned.
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24. Thank You
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