2. 3.1 Organization and Knowledge
Management
3.2 Building the Learning Organization
3.3 Knowledge Markets: Cooperation Among
Distributed Technical Specialists, Tacit
Knowledge and Quality Assurance.
3. Learning Outcomes:
Explain what is organizational learning
Explain what is knowledge sharing
Relate the relationship between knowledge
sharing and culture
Identify barriers to sharing knowledge in
organization
4. What must you know?
Understand the concepts of organizational
learning
What is communities of practice
Understand knowledge sharing and its
barriers
What is storytelling and its role
5. What is a Learning
Organization?
– 5 component technologies
• Systems thinking
• Personal mastery
• Mental models
• Shared vision
• Team learning
An organization skilled at creating,
acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and
at modifying its behavior to reflect new
knowledge and insights.
6. “Organizational learning is a process of
detecting and correcting error.”
“Organizational learning means the process
of improving actions through better
knowledge and understanding.”
Learning Improvement -3 M’s
– Meaning 1. Management 2. Measurement 3.
Measurement
7. Learning Organization Skills
– Systematic Problem-solving
– Experimentation (new approaches)
– Learning from past experience
– Learning from best practices (of others)
– Knowledge transference
8. LEARNING ORGANIZATION
“A learning organization is an organization skilled at
creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at
modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and
insights”
“New ideas are essential if learning is to take place”
“Without accompanying changes in the way that work gets
done, only the potential for improvements exist”
9. ORGANIZATION AND
QUALITIES
Meaning
– Plausible, well grounded definition, actionable
and easy to apply.
Management
– Clear guidelines for practice, filled with
operational advice rather than high aspirations.
Measurement
– Tools for assessing organizations rate and level
of learning to ensure gains have been made.
10. ORGANIZATION AND
QUALITIES
Three distinct stages.
– Cognitive
• Exposed to new ideas, expand their knowledge and
begin to think differently.
– Behavioral
• Employees internalize new insights and alter
behavior.
– Performance Improvement
• Changes in behavior leading to measurable
improvements in results.
11. BUILDING BLOCKS
Systematic Problem Solving
Experimentation
Learning from Past Experience
Learning from others.
Transferring knowledge
Measuring learning
Each is accompanied by a distinctive mindset, tool
kit and pattern of behavior.
12. SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM
SOLVING
Rely on scientific method for diagnosing
problems “plan, do, check, act”
Data
Statistical analysis
– Generating ideas and collecting information
– Reaching consensus
– Analyzing and displaying data
– Planning actions
13. EXPERIMENTATION
On-going programs
– Series of small experiments
– Steady flow of new ideas
– Incentive system
– Need managers and employees trained in
evaluating and performing experiments
14. EXPERIMENTATION
Demonstration Projects
– First projects to embody principles and
approaches company hopes to adopt on a larger
scale
– Establish policy guidelines and decision rules
for later projects
– Encounter severe tests of commitment from
employees (testing rule change)
– Limited impact on rest of organization (until
implemented)
15. LEARNING FROM PAST
EXPERIENCE
Companies revive successes and failures.
Assessment done systematically and in an
open and accessible forum
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it”
16. LEARNING FROM OTHERS
“Most powerful insights come from looking
outside ones immediate environment to gain
a new perspective”
SIS-Steal ideas shamelessly
Benchmarking
– Ongoing investigation and learning experience
that ensures the best industry practices are
uncovered, analyzed, adapted and implemented.
17. TRANSFERRING
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge must be spread quickly and
efficiently throughout the organization
Maximum impact when shared broadly
– Written reports
– Oral reports
– Site visits and tours
– Personnel rotation programs
– Standardization programs
– Education and training programs
18. MEASURING LEARNING
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage
it”
Actual data comparision
Learning or experience curves.
– Incomplete measures, ignore other competitive
variables, like quality, delivery or new product
introductions
19. CONCLUSION
Learning organizations foster an
environment that is conducive to learning
Learning organizations open up boundaries
and stimulate the exchange of ideas
