Week 3: Organizational Learning

With reference to Senge’s 5 disciplines - to what extent is your organization a Learning Organization?

1. Personal mastery personal visions & awareness

In Villa College (VC) the individual staffs and the organization is more focused on action (living the moment) rather than on learning (foreseeing future). It can be said that the individuals might have a personal vision and mission on where they want to be in the future, but it is hardly articulated within the organization. However, there are few staffs that can be noticed to be self driving in predicting and acting for their future. For such staffs the organization intends to assist them in any way they can (for instance by restructuring their work schedule for attending full time courses).

Moreover, professional development programs are conducted on a regular basis but it is not very effectively managed. Staffs are given options for attending professional development programs and it is observable that few staffs have excuses for not attending the program.

2. Mental models to be shared

In VC plenty of discussions are carried on concepts like organizations climate, culture and leadership. However, the tradition of sharing criticism with the higher management is not well instilled. Staffs resist sharing their pessimistic thoughts in meetings since the staffs get often labeled and are better off without giving suggestions to the organization.

Feedback's are collected on a customary basis by using different mediums but it is understood that some stakeholders are not taking the feedback process seriously as they believe that there is no action/change in organization after giving proper feedback's. Hence, now it is difficult to get quality response regarding the organization.

3. Shared vision

VC prepared its first vision and a mission with the help of all the staffs who were currently employed by then. Vision and mission statement is clearly displayed near the entrance of the College. However, it is not verbally well articulated within the organization and specific goals on achieving the vision is not identified.

4. Team learning through ongoing collective enquiry

Staffs at similar levels are quiet good team players. They engage as a group to enhance their faculties and demonstrate their willingness to deal with new and ambiguous situations. However, within heterogeneous teams it is often noticeable that there is lack of confidence in offering solutions. Hence, strategies to enhance team learning needs to further encouraged and implemented.

5. Systems thinking

VC view goals and problems as part of entire organization rather than secluded issues. Meetings to analyze the organizational goal, strategies implemented on how to achieve those goals and further recommendations are gathered and implemented at its best possible way. 

To sum up, given the lack of expertise of the college and its management, and various external (political) and internal (culture) barriers Villa College is on the verge to establish Senge's 5 disciplines of organizational learning.

"The

Learning Organization may best thought of as a journey, not a destination; a philosophy, not a program."

(Kerka & Sandra 1995)

Reference

·         Kerka & Sandra. (1995). The Learning Organization: Myths and Realities. Retrieved on March 24, 2014 from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED388802.pdf

Bibliography

·         Tuecke, P. (2001). The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations. Retrieved on March 24, 2014 from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.131.1981&rep=rep1&type=pdf#page=86

·         Marsick, V, J., & and Watkins, K, E. (2003). Demonstrating the Value of an Organization's Learning Culture: The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire. Advances in Developing Human Resources. doi: 10.1177/1523422303005002002.