A study of corporate environments and their influence on the development of an organizational learning culture

Abstract

Organizational learning is a term seen quite often in today’s leadership, organizational, and employee development literature. But what is it exactly? Is it relevant to the real concerns companies must address on a daily basis? What does it take to build one? How do you know if your organization is capable? And even if its concepts are powerful and sensible, can they realistically be applied with effectiveness in today’s for-profit organizations? This research paper looks at these and other topics focused on building a learning culture. It reveals the theoretical and idealistic precepts surrounding organizational learning, summarizes recent writings, case studies, and observations focused on the fundamentals, and discusses models assembled as blueprints to assist in effectively building learning cultures. Data for the research was collected from Performance Improvement professionals working in employee development roles for 17 leading North American companies, within 12 different industries. The survey instrument obtained subjective opinions on the current state of companies as relative to components fundamental to building a learning culture. It identified common obstacles, successful solutions, and supporting behaviors focused on information flow, learning solutions, systems thinking, and leadership support, which influence the development and implementation of an organizational learning culture. Research in this field found many books and journal articles on the principles, components, benefits, and applications necessary to effectively develop a learning culture, but there was little information available on examples of organizational learning practices developed and currently in use within these corporations. Additionally, there was little documentation on the real-time challenges and roadblocks encountered by those employees inside the organization most likely to champion and/or implement the steps essential to building such a culture. The importance of this study is based on the awareness that for-profit organizations are under great pressure to produce results. They must take an aggressive approach in preparing to handle the changes that arise within their internal and external environments. The philosophy of organizational learning is unearthing those elements within the organization that contribute to its inability to adapt. The focus of this research was to unearth those elements within companies that not only inhibit their adaptability, but also sustain it.