Improving Organizational Learning Strategy for Sim's Hardware

Sim's Hardware has a long history in the Australian retail landscape, but has faced challenges such as declining demand and war. To improve their organizational learning strategy, they can incorporate national policy and system changes, design learning resources and strategies, and evaluate the implementation process.

INTRODUCTION
 Sim’s Hardware provides a
wide range of products at
competitive prices for the
purpose of home improvement.
Sim’s Hardware has been a part
of the Australian retail
landscape from last many
decades. Sim’s Hardware
opened its first store under the
name of Sim's Home Goods in
George St Sydney.

CURRENT SITUATION
 In 1930, the midst of the Great Depression, the demand for
Sim’s Home Goods began to decline. Over the next three years,
the business closed three of the big stores.
 In 1941, declining consumer demand in conjunction with the
onset of World War II again brought Sim’s Home Goods to the
brink of closure.
 The business has continued to expand to now have 138 stores
and approximately 10,000 staff across the country.

CONTD…
 In the early 1950s, the business was repositioned; this
time to benefit from the housing boom by supplying
wood and other hardware items.
 The business was re-named Sim’s Hardware and an
expansion program commenced that took the business
into all states over the next 10 years.
 Sim’s Home Goods initially specialized in the
manufacturing and sale of small household furniture. The
business quickly expanded from one to four stores across
Sydney's northern and western suburbs. The stores
employed the equivalent of 60 full-time staff by the
beginning of 1928.

MONITORING LEARNING STRATEGIES AND
RESOURCES
 Compliance Monitoring – focusing on inputs
 Diagnostic Monitoring – focusing on
processes
 Performance Monitoring – focusing on
outputs

INCORPORATION OF NATIONAL POLICY AND SYSTEM
CHANGES
 Clearly define the change and align it to organizational learning
and development strategies
 Determine impacts and those affected.
 Develop a communication strategy.
 Provide effective training.
 Implement a support structure.
 Measure the change process.

DESIGN LEARNING RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES

METHODS OF EVALUATING ORGANIZATIONAL
LEARNING STRATEGY
 Inputs
 Activities
 Outputs
 Outcomes
 Outcome targets
 Outcome indicators

PLAN OF IMPROVING ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
STRATEGY
 Evaluate end-to-end implementation of
organizational learning strategy
 Peer observation and review
 elf-observation, self-assessment and critical
reflection
 Employee assessment tasks and attainment
of learning outcomes