Analyzing Organizational Learning, Development Theories & Models

This essay provides a detailed exploration of organizational learning and development, differentiating between organizational learning and learning organizations, highlighting their relationship, and examining the importance of organizational learning and development for companies. It disc...Read More

Learning and Development

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Difference between organizational learning and learning organization......................................3
Learning development theories, models and practice..................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

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INTRODUCTION
Organizational learning refers a continuous process of creating, transferring and retaining
knowledge within an organization (Basten and Haamann, 2018). Organizations can improve over
time when they gain experience and gain knowledge by performing day to day functions. This
study is going to discuss difference between organizational learning and learning organization on
some bases in order to develop knowledge and creating a learning environment within business.
It will further discuss effectiveness of organizational learning as how it can help companies in
improving their performance. Organizational learning and development theories and models also
play a vital role as it also helps companies in improving their learning culture where employees
can work with effectiveness and can improve their overall performance.
Difference between organizational learning and learning organization
There are some differences between organizational learning and learning organization but
before understanding differences of specific basis, it is important to understand the meaning of
both. Both these terms as learning organization and organizational learning helps companies in
improving their performance and help them out to mitigate problems or threats that they face.
Organizational learning: In regard to this, it can be said that it refers a process of
organization that is being followed for gaining knowledge related to its operations and functions.
The reason of following this process of gaining knowledge is to adapt changes that happen
within business environment for increasing efficiency and improving performance (Bilan and
et.al., 2020). It is also found that the main focus of organizational learning is on learning from
knowledge and experience that have been gathered by performing day to day activities.
In other words, it can be said that organizational learning is a reactive approach because this
learning is based on correction or detection found by company. So, it can be said that it is all
about a solution that employees or organization as whole find due to some drastic changes that
happen within business. Employees learn more about changes and ways of solving problems,
changing adapting situations while working within organizations or from their day to day
activities. There are main 4 concepts that can make organizational learning such as: information
distribution, knowledge acquisition, organizational memory and information interpretation. This
learning does not evaluate effectiveness of and also there will not be any changes in behaviour
patterns of learners (Park and Kim, 2018). This organizational learning helps employees in

solving problems and changes that happen within business. So, on the basis of detailed
discussion and definition, it can clearly be said that organizational learning is an ability of
organization to gain understanding from experience through analysis, observations, experiments
and willingness to identify or examine failure and success.
Learning organization: Learning organization is a learning in which employers let
employees to improve their own skills, knowledge and competencies within organization via
different aspects such as: capacity building, knowledge sharing by working in a team. The
overall aim of learning organization is developing subordinates. It is proactive approach rather
reactive.
The main focus of learning organization is on learning that can increase capabilities as
well as competencies of employees. There are numbers of examples that fall under learning
organization such as: Apple. Apple Company is learning organization because employees at this
workplace work around for accomplishing the common vision and its corporate culture
encourage creativity, imagination and innovation (Örtenblad, 2018). Organizational culture of
Apple increase flexibility and management facilitates the creation of working environment.
Overall, it can be said that learning organization helps employees in increasing their capabilities.
Relationship between organizational learning and learning organization
Before understanding actual differences it is important to discuss relationship that these both
have with each others such as: In both learning organization and organizational learning,
employees increase their knowledge, learn new thing and these competencies help them out to
cope up with challenging situations. Competencies that employees learn while working within
organization include: decision making, adaptability, problem solving and an ability to analyse
business’s situations. In learning organization, employees focus on improving all these skills in
culture of organizational learning (Kim, Watkins and Lu, 2017). So, overall it can be said that
learning organization is not possible without organizational learning or employees can learn or
improve all these skills only by working in organizational learning culture.
Difference between organizational learning and learning organization
It has already known that organizational learning is a continuous process in which
employees act or perform their roles on the basis of their past experience and knowledge that
they gather by performing day to day activities. Whereas, in learning organization employees are
being developed continuously for improving their capabilities in order to perform function or

handling changing situations. So, on the basis of this common and main definition, some other
differences can be known that can actually help all of us in knowing what are organizational
learning and learning organization. On the basis of differences, employees can improve their
skills and knowledge accordingly and can also tell the importance of these both terms.
Basis of differences Organizational learning Learning organization
Definition or
meaning
A continuous process according to
which employees act on the basis of
knowledge that they achieve by
performing day to day operations.
Type It is process type It is a structured type
learning Can be learnt by the business
situations.
Can be learnt by facilitated
methods as well as training by
organization.
Focus Main focus on organizational learning
is on employees’ overall achievements
and outcomes (Starbuck, 2017).
Main focus of employees is on
their own purposes and
processes from which they gain
knowledge.
Manager’s
responsibility
There is no responsibility of manager
in this learning.
Managers play a vital role and
their main responsibility is
developing subordinates.
So, on the basis of above discussed differences, it can be said that organizational learning
is just a process and learning organization is a structure. It can also be said that learning
organizations such as Apple and others are skilled at 4-5 main activities such as: experimentation
with new approaches, problem solving, and learning from own experience and the best practice
of others.
Importance of organizational learning and development
Organizational learning and development is important for all companies in creation,
transferring and retaining knowledge within organization in order to strengthen organization as a
whole. On the basis of above discussed definition of organizational learning, it can be said that
there are 3 main actors that need to be considered such as conceive, reflect and act. Products that

company sell or offers is conceive after that company needs to reflect. Organizational learning is
made up of three main processes such as: knowledge retention, knowledge creation and
knowledge transfer. It is important for companies to make sure that knowledge that they gain
from the process of learning is retained within the organization and is transferable as well.
Embedded knowledge can be retained within organization and can be shared among individuals
in an effective manner (Abdul-Halim and et.al., 2019). When employees share knowledge by
working within organizations, then they are more likely to perform their functions and it
improves overall performance and productivity of companies.
For defining and making use of organizational learning and development, it is important
for employees and managers to understand importance of creating a learning culture within
organization. This type of learning is beneficial for all team, individuals and organization as
whole. It helps companies in competing in challenging times and also makes employees able to
adapt changing situations and responding accordingly. By learning within organization by
performing day to day activities, employees can make their companies able to take competitive
advantages, becoming the market leader and solving all problems that companies face when
changes happen in business environmental factors. There are numbers of examples that shows
that business environment is changing faster than ever. This 21st century brought with it exciting
technology and it is changing the way people live. Advanced technology has changed people,
functions. But there are some other changes that have some negative impacts and Covid-19
pandemic is one of them. This environmental or climate change put threats and due to this
companies had to face numbers of problems. But those companies that focus on organizational
learning or improving employees’ flexibility skills are more likely to operate their business with
new ways.
So, it can be said that within learning cultures in organizations, employees can share their
knowledge, makes use of their experience that they gain by working within business and it can
help companies in improving their performance.
Learning development theories, models and practice
There are numbers of learning development theories and models that can help employees
in increasing learning and increasing skills by working within organizations such as:
Behaviourism, cognitive, the Addie model and others. Addie stands for analyse, design,

development, implement and evaluate. By following these all elements and 5 steps, companies
can create and improve their learning environment such as:
Analyse: This step can help companies in analysing or identifying problems and on the
basis of analysis; employers can identify needs of training. By conducing training and an
extensive audience analysis, they can determine pre existing knowledge, opportunities, abilities
and instructional environment (Salas-Rueda, Salas-Rueda and Salas-Rueda, 2020). So, overall, it
can be said that this step can help companies in improving knowledge of employees as per their
knowledge and needs.
Design: Employers need to write learning objectives and determine instructional strategies
that can be utilized for accomplishing learning goals. It can be said that this step is being
followed for accomplishing learning goals with designed and effective strategies. They also need
to make important decisions as how instructional and learning materials will look, operate, feel
and to be delivered to learners.
Develop: After designing strategies, learning materials and content is being assembled as
well as incorporated in order to produce performance support materials. Deliverables are being
reviewed for quality and accordingly they are being revised by employees. It can be said that this
step can help employees in learning about their own mistakes that they did and that affected
quality of products. It is true that employees learn a lot of things when they perform their daily
activities at workplace and revising or improvising is one of the important parts of organizational
learning.
Implement: After designing as well as developing quality of products and improving
learning among employees, performance support tools are being rolled out to intended audience.
Their impacts are being measured in order to know whether all things are on the right track or
not.
Evaluate: After completing steps of learning model, employers or managers then need to
use various methods in order to determine that whether performance support tools are accurate or
can give expected or desired results or not. If they find any problems then, strategies can be
developed accordingly (Adri, Wahyuni, Zakir and Jama, 2020).
This model makes sure that learners push through the lower levels of understanding new
information. Employers can make sure that employees are able to apply new gained knowledge

or information, can evaluate impacts and ultimately can solve problems by just developing
creating solutions.
Behaviourism: It is also one of the effective learning theories that focuses on the idea that
all behaviours can be learned through interaction with the environment and others. Employees
can learn new things, can make them innovative and productive when they interact with others
and deal with business environment. Until they do not interact with environment where they
work, they cannot learn new things and their behaviour limits to some extent. It limits their
learning and knowledge. So, it can be said that for improvising ourselves, people need to perform
activities and deal with business environmental factors that may changes any time and can have
critical impact on overall performance of employees (Eugenio Jr and Ocampo, 2019). This
learning theory states that behaviours can be learned in better manner from the environment and
it also states that inherited factors have very little influence on behaviour.
It is believed that people can learn new things and can improve their behavior by observing
other and all things or changes that happen around them. When employees get positive outcomes
then they strive hard and work on that behavior. As like this, if employees get some negative
results only because of their behavior and activities then they try to change their behavior. So, on
the basis of this, it can be said that with analysis and observation, employees can make changes
in their behavior and focus on improving behavior by which they can get positive outcomes. It is
also stated that behaviorism is the main key for learners as it impacts how learners behave as
well as react at workplace in organization.
Michigan expectation model: This learning model identifies 12 behavioral standards that
all companies need to be considered or focused in order to improve skills and learning of
employees. The main aim of implementing this learning model is to support shared mission and
equip all staff with an understanding of behavioral expectations that required for becoming
success in organizations. It is a framework for development and performance management. It is
mainly organized into 4 domains such as: mission, people, self and execution. Mission of
learning development model is to lead innovation, creating a shared vision and creating values
for diverse communities (Zahran and et.al., 2018). As per the people domain, the main focus of
this learning model is to collaborate an inclusive relation with others, promoting diverse teams
and coaching others. It is believed that when employees work in a team or collaborate with each
other’s then they are more likely to improve their learning. This aspect of people is the main key

of success of organization and they help company in meeting their goals by improving their own
skills and learning. In next element of self, this learning model focuses on acting with courage
and confidence, adapting new tings or changes and communication accordingly A continuous
and effective communication can help employees in improving their relation with others and
with improved relation they feel valued at workplace that improves their learning and ability to
adapt new things. Execution is the last stage in which organizations achieve results, solve
problems and build positive culture. An effective and improved culture also plays a vital role in
increasing learning and it makes employees able to improve their skills and knowledge as well.
An improve culture and working environment makes employees feel motivated towards
accomplishing their goals. Motivation is the main key of success that leads improved
performance and productivity as well (Schmidt, 2018). So, overall it can be said that learning and
development models as well as theories help companies in improving learning environment
within business.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarized from the above study that learning organization and organizational
learning both are different than each other’s and have numbers of differences. It has discussed
roles of managers in learning organization and ways in which they can make employees able to
increase their skills and knowledge as well. Both learning organization and organizational
learning improve overall performance of companies and make them able to compete with others.
It has further discussed some theories and models of organizational learning and development in
order to make use of learning in an effective manner or improving productivity.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Abdul-Halim, H. and et.al., 2019. Innovation culture in SMEs: The importance of organizational
culture, organizational learning and market orientation. Entrepreneurship Research
Journal. 9(3).
Adri, M., Wahyuni, T.S., Zakir, S. and Jama, J., 2020. Using ADDIE instructional model to
design blended project-based learning based on production approach.
Basten, D. and Haamann, T., 2018. Approaches for organizational learning: A literature
review. Sage Open. 8(3). p.2158244018794224.
Bilan, Y. and et.al., 2020. Sustainability and economic performance: Role of organizational
learning and innovation. Engineering Economics. 31(1). pp.93-103.
Eugenio Jr, F.C. and Ocampo, A.J.T., 2019, February. Assessing classcraft as an effective
gamification app based on behaviorism learning theory. In Proceedings of the 2019 8th
International Conference on Software and Computer Applications (pp. 325-329).
Kim, K., Watkins, K.E. and Lu, Z.L., 2017. The impact of a learning organization on
performance: Focusing on knowledge performance and financial
performance. European Journal of Training and Development.
Örtenblad, A., 2018. What does “learning organization” mean?. The Learning Organization.
Park, S. and Kim, E.J., 2018. Fostering organizational learning through leadership and
knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management.
Salas-Rueda, R.A., Salas-Rueda, É.P. and Salas-Rueda, R.D., 2020. Analysis and design of the
web game on descriptive statistics through the ADDIE model, data science and machine
learning. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and
Technology. 8(3). pp.245-260.
Schmidt, T., 2018. Inflation Expectation Uncertainty, Inflation and the Outputgap.
Starbuck, W.H., 2017. Organizational learning and unlearning.The Learning Organization.
Zahran, S. and et.al., 2018. Assessment of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Flint,
Michigan. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(8), pp.E1730-E1739.