Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in ... - Webs

ijcrb.webs.com
INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
capacity of a team to create the results its members truly desire‖ (Senge, 2006, p. 218).
Fourth, shared vision provides the focus and energy for learning, and foster risk taking
and experimentation, and people strive for a common aspiration when they truly share a
vision (Senge, 2006). Fifth, systems thinking is the discipline of taking the holistic view
and enables to see relationships rather than things and help see patterns of change rather
than static ―snapshots‖. Moreover, this is an ensemble of all other four disciplines fusing
them into a coherent body of theory and practice. Senge‘s (2006) view about the leader of
a learning organization is different from the traditional view of leaders which is based on
people‘s powerlessness, their lack of personal vision and inability to master the forces of
change, deficits which can be remedied only by a few great leaders. Leader of a learning
organization is a special person who sets the direction, makes key decisions and energizes
the individuals, and is a designer, a stewards, and a teacher.
According to Parek (2003) organizational learning is defined as ―the process by
which an organization acquires, retains, and uses inputs for its development, and the
process results in an enhanced capacity for continued self-learning and self-renewal‖ (p.
657). He suggested eight components that are necessary for organizational learning to
occur. First, taking a systemic view (holistic frame) of organizational issues and enables
members to see beyond the immediate and present, and brings root causes to the surface
instead of working simply on symptoms. Second, strategic thinking views the strategic
impact of each activity on an organization and enables managers to think of
consequences and implication of those actions. Third, a shared vision must be developed
by the top management and be communicated throughout the organization. Fourth is the
empowerment. In a learning organization people should be given appropriate authority,
direction, and support to accomplish their task. Fifth, there must be a free flow of critical
information at all levels, and even the negative information should be passed on
willingly. Sixth is Emotional Maturity that includes optimism, self-discipline,
commitment, and moderate risk taking. Seventh is ‗Learning‘ that deals with creating
conducive climate for learning that encourages dialogue and discussion. Selfdevelopment
is valued. Eighth is Synergy which emphasizes collaboration and team work
where people suspend their assumptions and think together. Cross-functional teams are
used, and people generally like coordinated action.
Lei et al. (1999) suggested seven areas that foster learning in organizations:
organizational design, organizational structure, decision-making processes, crossfunctional
teams, reward systems, management development, and corporate culture.
First, organizational Design facilitate the knowledge diffusion and open communication
throughout the organization. Second, Organizational structure changes because of
competencies and learning occurred. Senior management decides about the
organizational structure. Open communication and knowledge sharing is more fast and
easier in the smaller divisions. Third, Decision making processes are important element
which help to balance the three knowledge drivers; innovation, initiative, and competence
building and help manager to coordinate activities with strategies and allocate resources
more appropriately on the basis of the clear understanding of the decision making
process. Fourth, cross-functional teams collect the knowledge from different areas of the
organization and facilitate the cross-functional learning. Fifth, reward systems should
base on non-quantitative criteria to evaluate managers and promote learning and risktaking
behavior that is partly based on the inter-division cooperation, developing the key
COPY RIGHT © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 261
JANUARY 2011
VOL 2, NO 9