BSc Business Management: Learning & Development Report - Differences

This report critically analyzes the differences between organizational learning and a learning organization, as outlined in the BMP6004 Learning & Development module for a BSc (Hons) Business Management program. It begins by defining and explaining organizational learning, emphasizing its role in improving business performance through experience-based knowledge creation, retention, and transfer. The report highlights the importance of creating a learning culture and retaining employees to ensure knowledge application. It then defines and explains the concept of a learning organization, emphasizing its support for continuous employee development and adaptability to dynamic situations. The report emphasizes the empowerment of employees to make decisions and share experiences. The core difference between the two concepts is then critically evaluated, contrasting organizational learning's focus on experience-based activities with a learning organization's emphasis on continuous development and systematic problem-solving through training programs and knowledge transfer. The report concludes by summarizing the key distinctions, which are critical for organizational success.

Learning and development
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
An Explanation of organizational learning.................................................................................3
An Explanation of learning organization....................................................................................5
Difference between organisational learning and a learning organization...................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Learning is determined as the continuous process which increases skills, knowledge and
understanding of individual from his/ her own experiences or might be gained from any study or
classes. Learning places an essential role in the growth of the company as it allows businesses in
improving their performance from the learning which have been developed by them from past.
Whereas, development is acknowledged as the process which brings positive changes within the
company that leads to organisational success. The present report briefly explains about the
common concept that is organisational learning and learning organisation along with their core
examples in order to understand them in better manner. Further, difference between both the
concepts will be explained so that clear understanding on the both concepts can be developed. It
can be further said that application of the both the concepts at workplace helps company in
attaining success as employees are able to perform their work in effective manner.
MAIN BODY
An Explanation of organizational learning
Organizational learning is determined as the effective process through which business
organization improvises itself with the passing period of time with its experiences. This
experience directly helps them out in creating their knowledge as well as skills which contributes
in the attainment of organizational success in the near future (Duffield and Whitty, 2015). Also,
it can be said that this developed knowledge is further transferred and implementing in the
company which enhances chances of its growth in the rapid manner.
Organizational learning is plays an essential role in the growth of every company as it
creates, retain and transfer knowledge within the business entity that provides strength to the
same association and also leads to attainment of success in rapid manner. In addition to this, it
can be further said that it is highly important for the company to ensure that what so ever
knowledge is being developed at their workplace must be used within their own company only
by their employees. Also, there are probable chances that employees at workplace can also
acquire the provided knowledge given by the company and leave the company. Thus, it is highly
important for the business managers to retain its existing staff by providing them range of
facilities and effective environment so that they can attain success in quicker manner achieve
their organizational goal and objectives in rapid manner. Business managers incorporating
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organizational learning are also required to tell its staff that learning is beneficial the company,
each and every employee and their teams too. If all of them places best possible efforts towards
developing it effectively then it will definitely provide maximum output to all (Boer and et. al.,
2017). As a result, it can be said that organizational learning is beneficial for all but still it is
essential for all the associated people to take required initiative in order to implement it
effectively within the organizational premises.
Organizational learning theory mainly emphasizes on the development of knowledge and
its further usage within the company with the motive of improving its business performance that
leads to organizational success. As per this theory learning mainly takes place when individuals
interacts at workplace with one another and identifies solution towards the existing problems. It
also focuses on creating overall learning culture at workplace which helps them out in improving
knowledge and skills of employees which is further being implemented at workplace that
contributes in its success. Apart from this, it can be further said that organizational learning
theory focuses on four key areas and also tries to implement effectively with the motive of
acquiring success. At first, it places stress on developing such kind of culture which appreciates
knowledge and focuses on sharing it in appropriate manner (Tam and Gray, 2016). At next, it
emphasizes on taking some time for learn those lessons which are developed from past mistakes
and failures. Furthermore, organization also focuses on encouraging employees at each level in
order to motivate them to perform well for the development of the company. This is effectively
done by encouraging them continue their education and acquire more knowledge for their own as
well as organizational growth.
All of the stated information on organizational learning simply state that it is highly
important for the company helps them out in attaining success. This can be well understood with
the help of the example, for instance: Businesses which follows this concept are having higher
proportion of employees who are satisfied towards their job. This also reduces employee
turnover rate as employees are happy at workplace and believes to work in the same company for
longer period of time. Along with this, it can be further said that organizational learning also
leads to the enhancement of employees’ productivity, efficiency which leads to increase in
organizational profitability (Geppert, 2017). Along with this, it also increases adaptability of the
company. It can also be said that if company follows this concept then they are able to remain
more competitive at workplace as they are able to react quickly towards changing environment
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and can also take required action towards the same in order to handle the situation and sustain
longer within the same industry.
An Explanation of learning organization
Learning organization is considered as business entity supports its employees as well as
other members at workplace to develop at continuous basis so that they can transform themselves
and attain success in the quicker manner. It also prepares the company as well as company about
the dynamic situations that might take place at workplace and places major influence over the
growth of the company in rapid manner (Stoll and Kools, 2017). It also provides support to them
in the attainment of competitive edge within the same industry. In addition to this, it has been
further determined that learning organization provides complete power to the workforce to take
decisions at their own level and resolve organizational problem effectively. Also, it provides
opportunity to employees to share their experience with the peer members and provides its
associated benefit to them that leads to organizational success. Also, employees are completely
free to share their ideas, viewpoint, perception and experience at workplace without having any
kind of fear that they will be judged at their knowledge (Baldwin, 2016). This directly develops
positive feeling among employees towards the company which leads to achievement of
organizational goals and objectives in quicker manner.
Moreover, it has also been determined that it is the continuous based process that helps
company in continuously improving themselves through developing their capabilities as well as
skills which will support them out in attaining success in the near future. From the overall
information, obtained on this it can be said that learning organization are the one which learn
from its own experiences (Kools and Stoll, 2016). Along with this, it learning can also be
performed by conducting continuous development programs at workplace which provides
opportunity to each and every team member to learn all the skills and knowledge which will
going to be required in the near future. This ultimately provides support to each and every
employee in growing themselves and accomplishing their own as well as organizational goals
and objectives in rapid manner. Furthermore, it also contributes in resolving organizational
problems in systematic manner as employees are getting appropriate training towards the same.
It also provides support in transferring knowledge among the employees through the medium of
formal training session in which leader provides training to each and every team member about
the work which leads to organizational success (Shore and Zollo, 2015). At the last, it can be said
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that learning organization simply provides opportunity to employees and other individuals at
workplace to express their queries, questions, react on various organizational situation, learn,
analyze the existing challenges and then provide suggestion or recommendation towards the
same so that company can easily cope up with it and execute its operational activities at
marketplace in rapid manner.
Difference between organisational learning and a learning organization
Organisational learning and learning organisational are the two of the important concepts are
beneficial for the company which also supports them in attaining organisational objective in
rapid manner. Both of the concepts look similar with one another but still they are different from
each one as one among them includes actual learning procedure within the company whereas
another one states that it is the course of attaining learning within the business organisation
(Klinge, 2015)..
In addition to this, it can be further said that organisational learning is determined as the
process in which employees performs their business activities on the basis of their experiences as
well as knowledge attained by them from their regular based activities so that organisational
situations can be tackled in appropriate manner (Grealish and et. al., 2015). On the other hand,
learning organisation is determined as the already incorporated process according o which
employees continuously develops themselves according to their own capabilities and capacities
so that they can handle different organisational situations in better manner. This can be seen as
the first and foremost difference between organisational learning and learning organisation. In
addition to this, the another main difference is that organisational learning places stress over the
achievement as well as outcomes which company is planning to attain in order to attain
sustainability and gain competitive edge (Connor, Karmokar and Whittington, 2015). On the
contrary, while talking about learning organisation, it can be said that main focus in this is on
main purpose and processes of the company which they are planning to attain with the medium
of this concept.
Apart from this, it can be further said that main focus of management in organizational
learning is to develop such type of culture at workplace which leads to development of
objectives and its attainment effectively within the provided course of time (Margaryan,
Littlejohn and Stanton, 2017). On the other hand, culture of learning organisation places major
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stress the performance of employees which can be easily enhanced by providing adequate
training to employees that leads to organisational success.
In organisational learning, learning is performed at effectively by the business by going
through different business situation. In this, organisation learns itself from their past experiences
that have been experienced by them while working at workplace in the past. This can be also be
seen as the self learning activity in which no one teach employees about the skills, knowledge or
other development things but at the same while talking about learning organisation it can be said
that in this business manager conducts several training programs and learning session for the
employees where they gets training about the different skills which are very important for the
employees to get acquired so that they can easily perform their assigned work in such a manner
that leads to attainment of organisational goal and objectives (Tam and Gray, 2016). This also
results in the attainment of success in the rapid manner. Apart from this, it can be further said
that these training programs are finalised by business managers according to the changing
business situations and emerging demand of skills and knowledge among the employees so that
they can acquire success in rapid manner.
While talking about manager’s responsibility in organizational learning, it can be said
that it is none but still if it is emphasised on manager’s responsibility in learning organisation it
has been analysed that here managers are required to develop their subordinates effectively so
that they can improvise their skill and knowledge and also attain organisational objectives in the
rapid manner. In addition to this, it can be further said that organisational learning is determined
as the effective process by which business organization improvises itself with the passing period
of time with its experiences (Disterheft and Caeiro, 2015). This experience directly helps them
out in creating their knowledge as well as skills which contributes in the attainment of
organizational success in the near future. Whereas, learning organization is effectively
acknowledged as the structure that ensures that it each and every employees at workplace gets
effective environment where they can groom themselves and improvise performance. In learning
organization employees gets opportunity to improvise their business performance by getting
proper training session. Also, businesses which follows learning organization structure they even
provides complete freedom to its workforce to express their requirement in terms development
so that adequate action can be taken towards the same which leads to the success of organization
(Hockly, 2015). In this type employees can easily ask business manager to conduct training
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session for them in which appropriate guidance will be provided about the business activities
according to which employees can easily execute their business roles and attain organizational
objectives in rapid manner.
From the overall information expressed on the organizational learning and learning
organization it can be said that even though both the terms looks similar to one another but the
key difference among them is that in organizational learning main focus is placed on learning
through the experiences as well as knowledge which have been obtained by employees from
their business activities performed by them in day to day life (Barkley and Major, 2015). On the
contrary, learning organization focuses on enhancing the competencies and capabilities of
employees.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of overall explanation provided in the above section, it is comprehended that
learning and development both plays essential role in the growth and success of the company as
it improves business performance of employees which ultimately leads to business success. It has
been also been acknowledged that organisational learning is the continuous process in which
company develops its knowledge as well as understanding from all the past experiences faced by
them while executing their business activities in rightful manner. Whereas learning organization
has been explored as the effective initiative taken by the company towards developing skills and
knowledge of its employees at continuous basis which transforms their performance and
contributes in the attainment of organisational goals and objectives. Both concepts are having
slight difference among one another. The main difference between among them is that learning
organisation is mainly determined as the process towards the change whereas organisational
learning is acknowledged as the process through which various strategies are developed and
incorporated within the company in order to bring change so that growth can be attained in the
quicker manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Duffield, S. and Whitty, S.J., 2015. Developing a systemic lessons learned knowledge model for
organisational learning through projects. International journal of project
management, 33(2), pp.311-324.
Boer, H., Berger, A., Chapman, R. and Gertsen, F. eds., 2017. CI Changes from Suggestion Box
to Organisational Learning: Continuous Improvement in Europe and Australia:
Continuous Improvement in Europe and Australia. Routledge.
Tam, S. and Gray, D.E., 2016. Organisational learning and the organisational life
cycle. European Journal of Training and Development.
Geppert, M., 2017. Beyond the Learning Organisation: Paths of Organisational Learning in the
East German Context: Paths of Organisational Learning in the East German Context.
Routledge.
Kools, M. and Stoll, L., 2016. What makes a school a learning organisation?.
Stoll, L. and Kools, M., 2017. The school as a learning organisation: a review revisiting and
extending a timely concept. Journal of professional capital and community.
Shore, B. and Zollo, G., 2015. Managing large–scale science and technology projects at the edge
of knowledge: The Manhattan project as a learning organisation. International
Journal of Technology Management, 67(1), pp.26-46.
Baldwin, M., 2016. Social work, critical reflection and the learning organization. Routledge.
Klinge, C.M., 2015. A conceptual framework for mentoring in a learning organization. Adult
learning, 26(4), pp.160-166.
Grealish, L., Henderson, A., Quero, F., Phillips, R. and Surawski, M., 2015. The significance of
‘facilitator as a change agent’–organisational learning culture in aged care home
settings. Journal of clinical nursing, 24(7-8), pp.961-969.
Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A. and Stanton, N.A., 2017. Research and development agenda for
Learning from Incidents. Safety science, 99, pp.5-13.
Tam, S. and Gray, D.E., 2016. Organisational learning and the organisational life
cycle. European Journal of Training and Development.
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Disterheft, A., Azeiteiro, U.M., Leal Filho, W. and Caeiro, S., 2015. Participatory processes in
sustainable universities–what to assess?. International Journal of Sustainability in
Higher Education.
Hockly, N., 2015. Developments in online language learning. Elt Journal, 69(3), pp.308-313.
Barkley, E.F. and Major, C.H., 2015. Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college
faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
Connor, A., Karmokar, S. and Whittington, C., 2015. From STEM to STEAM: Strategies for
enhancing engineering & technology education. International Journal of Engineering
Pedagogy, 5(2), pp.37-47.
ONLINE
Organizational Learning. 2020. [Online] Available through:
<https://www.valamis.com/hub/organizational-learning>.
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