Leadership and Learning: Evaluating Organizational Learning Theories

This essay delves into the critical relationship between leadership and learning within organizations. It explores various organizational learning theories, including espoused theory, theory-in-use, single loop learning, double loop learning, and Deuterolearning, highlighting their impact on organizational performance and growth. The essay utilizes Gibbs Reflective Model to assess the importance of leadership in fostering employee development, knowledge acquisition, and strategic problem-solving. It emphasizes the significance of leaders in providing direction, formulating strategies, and motivating teams to achieve organizational objectives. The analysis covers the application of learning theories to enhance organizational functions, solve problems, and improve overall profitability and productivity. The essay concludes by reinforcing the crucial role of leadership and learning in driving organizational success and adaptability.

LEADERS AND
LEARNING

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Leadership is related to leading the followers to provide them right path to achieve success.
It is an ability to develop the skills and knowledge by understanding new things. This study will
include organisational learning theories and will reflective essay for assessing the knowledge about
leadership and learning.
MAIN BODY
Leadership is the skill which helps organisation in achieving their organisational objective. I
can describe that leadership is the way which provides direction to organisation which assists firm
in increasing their profitability and productivity. In my opinion, learning is an ability to learn new
things and increase the knowledge to improve performance (Bowers & et.al., 2017). I think,
according to organisational perspective, the theory which helps in increasing knowledge and
develop individual consists of Espoused theory and theory-in -use. Espoused theory refers to the
formalised part of organisation.
According to this theory, employees should conduct themselves in order to carry out their
jobs. This theory provides information about what employees should do and not focus on what they
want to do. Theory- in – use, is the actual way things are done. This approach is mostly used by
organisations to solve any problem rather than the espoused theory. It provides things that
employees use to solve any problems and learn new things.
There are three types of organisational learning theory that consist of single loop learning,
double loop learning and Deuterolearning (Basten & et.al., 2018). Single loop learning consist of
one feedback loop when strategy is modified in response to an unexpected result. Double loop
learning is that type of learning that results in change in Theory – in – use. According to this
organisational learning theory, the values, strategies and assumptions which governs actions are
changed to create a more efficient environment. Deuterolearning is the knowledge which is about
improving the learning system.
It consists of structural and behavioural components which determine how learning takes
place. These theories of organisational learning help in improving the organisational function to
achieve greater profitability for the growth of enterprise (Spillane, 2015). Leadership is important as
it provides way to organisation to achieve the results by making strategies which help in achieving
the desired targets.
According to Gibbs Reflective Model, I have assessed that leadership provides way to
achieve the target goals and help employees of organisation in increasing their learning and
knowledge training provided by the leaders of enterprise to increase their skills and abilities. I can
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say that organisation by adopting the theory – in – use which will help the firm in implementing the
ways which will assist in solving the problems and provide learning to the employees to grow their
knowledge and skills for future improvement (Day & et.al., 2018). I have assessed that organisation
by adopting the organisational learning theory will help in identifying the problems which are faced
by firm and will provide effective solutions to improve the profitability and productivity of
enterprise.
Figure 1: Gibb's Reflective Model
(Source: Reflective writing: About Gibbs reflective cycle, 2018)
According to Gibbs reflective model, I have determined that leadership helps the
organisation in achieving their objectives by improving the individual learning and skills of
employees to increase their productivity and efficiency which will contribute in the organisation
growth. By adopting the organisational learning theory, I felt that it will help in increasing the
knowledge and understanding of learning new thing which assist in gaining the objective
(Augustine-Shaw, 2015). I have determined that firm using the organisational learning theories are
growing their profitability and are adopting new ways to solve the organisational problems. In my
opinion, leaders help the organisation learning new ways as it provide direction and formulate
strategies to solve the problems and lead the team towards success.
I have determined by identifying the different theories for organisational learning that it will
assist the firm in achieving their objectives. Leader is the one that shows direction to the
organisation and employees about the right path which will support in achieving the common goals.
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For example, leaders provide direction to the organisation by formulating various strategies to
achieve organisational goals. I think leaders require various leadership skills to provide the right
path and lead the team towards success (Jönsson & et.al., (2015). It consists of motivating nature,
delegating, creativity, responsibility communication etc. For being a good leader which are required
these skills which helps in motivating the employees to perform better and achieve the target goals.
On the contrary, leaders that provide negative motivation to the team reduce the employee's
development and leads to organisation towards losses.
According to Gibbs reflective model, I have identified that by using organisational learning
theories I have developed by skills and knowledge which will help in improving my performance in
the organisation. In My opinion, leaders have the influencing powers through which it can influence
the members of its team and can improve their performance of the firm. Leaders in the organisation
is responsible for achieving the team goals and for this it enhances the learning skills of the
employees by providing them proper training (Spillane, 2017). The leaders provide direction to the
organisation about the right path and goes on that way by formulating various strategies and
planning and then if the approach is effective it shows the direction to the firm.
According to my Views, single loop learning will help in providing solution to the problems
by implementing the strategies of the organisation to solve that particular problems (Baker-Doyle,
2017). I think organisation by adopting the learning theories will enhance their ways to learn new
things which will make the firm innovative and will lead the enterprise towards success (Lebrón &
Tabak, 2018). In my opinion, leadership and learning both helps the firm towards achieving their
targeted objectives as leaders provide learning to the employees by providing them with various
task and guidance to complete the task assigned. For example, leadership helps in developing the
ability of individual and improve their efficiency.
According to my views, organisation’s learning theories are implemented in firm to enhance
the performance by providing the solution for various problems faced by organisation. Single loop
learning does not change the strategies and uses the same strategies which are implemented in the
organisation to solve any problems and thus it is not more effective. However, I can say that single
loop will help the firm in solving various problems (Organizational Learning Theory: Company
Perspective, 2017). Double loop learning provide changing the strategies according to the particular
problems which will helps in solving the problems quickly and thus will provide more learning to
the organisation about new things.
In my opinion, leadership is important for learning new thing and it provides guidance and
direction to organisation about various strategies which will help in improving the performance and
profitability of firm (Hallinger & Wang, 2015). For example: leaders that provide motivation helps
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in improving the performance of the employees and create positivity among the employees for
better performance. According to Gibbs reflective model, I have assessed that the organisational
theories will improve the result of organisation and will lead the firm towards success.
Organisation having good leaders assist in collaborating and communicating the organisational
goals to the team members to work effectively and efficiently towards achieving objectives.
According to my opinion, leader assist in providing the knowledge and learning which helps
in growth of firm. For example: the leader provides training to members of team to increase their
knowledge and learning which will improve their individual ability that assist in improving the
organisational performance.
CONCLUSION
From the above study, it can be concluded that leadership and learning are the most
important aspects of organisation that help in improving the performance of organisation and
leading firm towards success. It can also be said that various organisational learning theories like
single loop learning, espoused theory, theory – in - use, double loop learning, etc. help in providing
organisational learning that leads to have a better future for business.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bowers, A. J. & et.al., (2017). How leaders agree with teachers in schools on measures of
leadership practice: A two-level latent class analysis of the comprehensive assessment of
leadership for learning. Teachers College Record. 119(4). 1-66.
Basten, F. & et.al., (2018). 21st century leadership skills for learning networks.
Spillane, J. P. (2015). Leadership and learning: Conceptualizing relations between school
administrative practice and instructional practice. Societies. 5(2). 277-294.
Day, R. M. & et.al.,. (2018). Operating management system for high reliability: Leadership,
accountability, learning and innovation in healthcare. Journal of Patient Safety and Risk
Management. 23(4).155-166.
Augustine-Shaw, D. (2015). Leadership and learning: Identifying an effective design for mentoring
new building leaders. Delta kappa gamma bulletin. 81(2). 21.
Jönsson, S. & et.al., (2015). Social climate and job control as mediators between empowering
leadership and learning from a cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Cross
Cultural Management. 15(2). 135-149.
Spillane, J. (2017). Leadership and Learning: Conceptualizing Relations Between School
Administrative Practice and Instructional Practice. In How School Leaders Contribute to
Student Success. (pp. 49-67). Springer. Cham.
Lebrón, M. J., & Tabak, F. (2018). Leading in the Real World: Operationalizing a Power-Based
Model of Collaboration for Leadership Experiential Learning. Organization Management
Journal. 15(3). 110-129.
Baker-Doyle, K. J. (2017). Transformative Teachers: Teacher Leadership and Learning in a
Connected World. Harvard Education Press. 8 Story Street First Floor. Cambridge. MA
02138.
Hallinger, P., & Wang, W. C. (2015). Assessing leadership for learning with the principal
instructional management rating scale.
Online
Organizational Learning Theory: Company Perspective. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.knowledge-management-tools.net/>.
Reflective writing: About Gibbs reflective cycle. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/>.
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