European perspectives on the learning organisation

Abstract

European perspectives on the learning organisationNyhan, B.; Cressey, P.; Tomassini, M.; Kelleher, M.; Poell, R.F. Published in: Journal of European Industrial Training Document version:Peer reviewed version Publication date: 2004 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA):Nyhan, B., Cressey, P., Tomassini, M., Kelleher, M., & Poell, R. F. (2004). European perspectives on the learning organisation. Journal of European Industrial Training, 28(1), 67-92. General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.-Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research -You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain -You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright, please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. AbstractThis paper, based on a publication entitled 'Facing up to the learning organisation challenge' published in April 2003, provides an overview of the main questions emerging from recent European research projects related to the topic of the learning organisation. The rationale for focusing on this topic is the belief that the European Union goals related to 'lifelong learning' and the creation of a 'knowledge-based society' can only be attained if the organisations in which people work are also organisations in which they learn. Work organisations must become, at the same time, learning organisations.This paper has four main messages. The first is that, in order to build learning organisations, one has to ensure that a) there is coherence between the 'tangible' (formal/objective) and the 'intangible' (informal/subjective) dimensions of an organisation; and b) that the organisation's learning' goals are reconciled with individuals' learning needs. The complexity involved in ensuring the right balance between these different dimensions, means that in the final analysis one cannot realistically expect more than incomplete or imperfect learning organisations. However, this does not in any way negate the validity of the quest to reconcile these competing but 'real' interests.The second message is that challenging or developmental work is a prerequisite for implementing a learning organisation. One of the keys to promoting learning organisations is to organise work in such a way that it promotes human development. The third message is that the provision of support and guidance is essential to ensure that developmental work does in fact provide opportunities for developmental learning. The fourth message is that to address organisational learning there is a need for boundary...

The learning ability of Portuguese small family businesses

“…Shared interpretation inside organisations is also considered critical to the success of partnerships and alliances in the learning organisation (Mohr and Spekman, 1994). Nyhan et al (2004) believe that the two major strains in terms of organisational learning are:…”

“…Workers must perform functions more autonomously, they must monitor their own production and behaviour to adapt to change, they need to solve problems, they have to take initiatives and think creatively in order to achieve more effective solutions and better meet customer expectations (Brown and Keep, 1999). Nyhan et al (2004) stated that a key to promotion of a learning organisation is to organise work with a view to human development. Garavan (1997) argues that human development promotes collective learning.…”

“…Source: Adapted from Nyhan et al (2004) On the left of the figure, we have tangible characteristics, which can be articulated with the characteristics on the right, the intangibles such as human knowledge, thoughts and feelings. Measuring both sides in articulation allows us to evaluate the firm's learning ability.…”

“…This facilitates a cohesive organisational identity which does not conflict with the interests of individuals, allowing employees to gain personal and professional benefits while working for collective goals. Nyhan et al (2004) state that the learning capacity serves as a vision enabling organisations to understand their contexts, the meaning of their practice and explore their own unique situations to meet economic and social objectives for the benefit of all.…”

“…According to Branson (2008), and Slater and Narver (1995), the ability to learn faster than competitors may be the only source of sustainability and competitive advantage. In fact, the difficulties for individuals and organisations are accentuated in turbulent environments, with economic scenarios characterised by increasing competition where globalisation, mergers, acquisitions and job insecurity are always present (Bratton, 2001;Nyhan et al, 2004). Schein (1996) states that the difficulties in creating a learning organisation focus on concepts such as 'resistance to change', 'human nature' or 'failure of leadership'.…”