Organizational Learning Theories: A Comprehensive Essay

This essay explores the concept of learning organizations, focusing on how organizations create, retain, and transfer knowledge to adapt and improve. It delves into three key learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism is examined in terms of how changes in behavior occur through stimulus and response, influencing staff motivation through rewards and leadership styles. Constructivism is presented as a theory where individuals construct their own understanding based on experiences, emphasizing the importance of providing support for interpreting and creating ideas. Cognitivism is discussed as the processing of information, with an emphasis on internal mental processes and two knowledge-based approaches: operational and thematic. The essay provides examples of how these theories can be applied within an organizational setting, such as employee motivation, constructive feedback, and goal-setting strategies, concluding that these theories play a significant role in organizational development and staff behavior.

Running head: THE LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS
The Learning Organizations
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Organizational learning is the process of creating, retaining and transferring
information related to a company. There will be the occurrence of organizational development in
due course of time with the attainment of experience. There will be the occurrence of the
organizational learning with the assistance of the learning process that is related with the aspect
to facilitate, impede, direct the change, disseminate and use the organizational information.
Organizational learning is also regarded as the way by which an organization will create and
organize information in respect of their operational and cultural scenario (Lowyck 2014). The
goal regarding organizational learning is successfully adapting with the shifting environments, to
adjust under uncertain conditions and to increase the efficiencies.
I would like to opine that there are three learning theories that are considered to be
behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism.
To elucidate on the aspect of behaviourism, it needs to be mentioned that there exists
information independently. The behaviourists believe that learning occurs in an actual manner
when there occurs the acquiring of new changes in the behaviour through associations within the
stimuli and responses. Therefore, I would like to state that association will lead towards a change
in behavioural aspect. The process of learning, according to me, regarding behaviourism will
depend upon changes in the behaviour that is objectively observable. In accord to the
behavioural theorists, learning is explained as the process to gain new behaviour or changes in
behaviour (Wilson 2014). This organizational theory will be stating that there will be occurring
the instigation of learning when there will occur the presentation of an indication from the
environment and there will be occurring the learner’s reaction to the stimulus with specific type
of response. There will occur the arrangement of the results that does the strengthening of the

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required behavioural aspect that is being aspired for. The new behavioural pattern will keep
repeating in order to become automatic. The change in behaviour within an organizational staff
will signify the fact that learning will take place. From the viewpoint of the organization,
behaviourism in respect of staffs will be leading towards their motivation. The staff motivation is
considered being a method that targets the physiological need and lead towards more output
(Roberts 2014). A staff might have the desirability for improving the motivational aspect by
empowering the employees to make decisions or solve the crisis relating to the place of work.
Some of the employers are also providing the employees with the ability to have a schedule that
is regarded having the flexibility or participating in programs in relation to training. Regarding
this, it is my belief that an employer’s choice of leadership style might do the elicitation of
different employee responses. A particular type of leadership is not be used by all the leaders in
different situations. One more efficient means to understand staff behaviour is relating to the
earlier staff experiences. The most efficient way to predict the way in which an employee will
behave is to find out how was the employee’s behaviour earlier, when confronted with same kind
of circumstances (Bray 2017). For instance, in relation to the organizational perspective, it needs
to be stated that the employees will be receiving a raise from the companies because of providing
excellent performances. The motivation to receive a raise will instigate the employees in
performing their work in an effective manner.
To elucidate on the aspect of constructivism, it can be explained that every person will
construct their personal viewpoint regarding the place of work, based on their own experiences
and internal knowledge. Learning is based on the ways through which a person will be doing the
interpretation as well as creation of meaning in relation to the person’s experiences (Cooper
2015). In regard to the theories of constructivism, learning is regarded being a process where

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new concepts are made by the organizational staffs based on the earlier experiences. The
organizational staffs will be generating their mental models that will be used by them to make
sense of their experiences. I would like to opine that the constructivism theory will be
concentrating upon the scenario to prepare the individuals to solve the crisis (Tanes 2016).
Therefore, to become successful, the staff of an organization will have the need for a significant
information support regarding which there will be taking place the process to interpret and crate
ideas. Moreover, in respect of constructivism, outcomes that are already expected are not always
occurring as because staffs do the building personal information. Constructivism is regarded to
be a systematic process that is providing the explanation in respect of methods and interfaces
within the methods and their components. It is also providing the most efficient means of
understanding the system of transforming the process (Ertmer 2013). For instance, regarding
constructivism, it can be stated that in a company when an employee submits a report with some
flaws in the written material, the person should not be condemned regarding the mistakes that he
had made and as an alternative, the individual should be getting motivated through the offering
of constructive disparagement that will support him in discovering the means to make
developments (Meier 2016).
To elucidate on the aspect of cognitivism, it needs to be stated that it is based on the
process of thought in respect of the employee behaviour. Cognitivism is based on the viewpoint
that information is getting processed by people and sheer response to stimuli is not the only
aspect that is being provided. Cognitivism is getting used when the staff of an organization will
perform a major part in seeking the ways to understand as well as process the information that
the person receives and having its relation with what is already known and was stored within the
memory. The cognitive learning theorists state that learning occurs through the processing of

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internal information (Foroughi 2015). With the support of an internal process, there takes place
the governing of cognitive information processing. This approach will pay more attention to
what is occurring within the mind of an organizational employee and concentrating upon the
mental methods when compared with the observable behaviour. Since, cognitivism is associated
with organizational information, there occurs the identification of two knowledge based
approaches. One of the approach is considered being an operational knowledge approach that is
associated with the organizational theory and occurs via positivism (Yusoff 2016). The
organizational managers work in this way and are interested in the universal laws of cause and
effect based on organizational associations. The second approach is regarded as the thematic
approach that concentrates upon the acceptance of a fact and therefore, this approach is
considered very important. This approach considers the various individualistic actions and
objectives, which supports in edifying the values of the organization at various staff levels,
systematizing them and passing the organizational culture towards the new employees (Crooks
2017). For instance, in respect of an organization, it can be stated that the organizational
managers will do the implementation of cognitivism by assigning this theory of learning in
respect of the employees who finds it difficult to concentrate upon the outcomes. Companies will
also be adapting the goal-setting strategies in which the objectives will provide the employees
with the means to estimate their growth (Dakich 2014).
To conclude the discussion, I would be stating that the learning theories regarding
cognitivism, behaviourism and constructivism play a significant part within a company. The
behaviourist organizational theory explains that there will take place the commencement of
learning when there will occur the presentation of a suggestion from the environment and there
will be occurring the learner’s reaction to the stimulus with specific kind of reaction. Regarding

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constructivism, outcomes that are already anticipated are not always occurring due to the fact
that employees do the building of own information. This learning theory is regarded to be a
systematic process that offers the explanation regarding the processes and interfaces within the
methods and their elements. It is also offering the most efficient process of understanding the
system of transforming the procedure. Moreover, regarding cognitivism, it can be stated that it is
taking place with the support of the internal information processing. There occurs the storing of
knowledge in a cognitive manner as symbols. Cognitivism explains the function of knowing to
determine as well as predict an employee’s behavioural pattern. According to this theory of
learning, it is stated that people are having the tendency towards the formation of personal
concepts that will be influencing the behaviour that they are displaying. These can either be
considered being positive concepts or negative concepts or get influenced by the environment of
an individual. The organizational managers function like this and have a propensity towards the
universal laws of cause and effect depending upon the organizational relationships. Another
approach is considered being the thematic approach that gives attention to the recognition of a
statement and therefore, this approach is playing a very major part within an organization. This
approach take into consideration the different personal actions and objectives supporting the
edification of organizational values at different staff levels, standardizing them and shifting the
cultural aspect of the company towards the new staffs.

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