Organizational Learning

Nowadays, organizations are experiencing an environment of change and a lot of competition. The knowledge these days evolves more and more everyday and becomes “obsolete” really fast. That is why it’s very important to continue learning and acquiring new information and knowledge all the time. Thus, organizations can develop a competitive advantage.

We need to know that learning occurs when the new knowledge is transformed into actions (how to do things). Then it is necessary to develop a learning organization- a firm that enhance and builds strategies to encourage organizational learning-, as well as a strong organizational culture.

There are three types of organizational learning:

• Single-loop learning: occurs when errors are detected, corrected without altering the nature of the organization.
• Double-loop learning: occurs when in addition to single-loop, the organization questions and modifies their existing norms, procedures, policies and objective.
• Deutero-learning: The first two will occur.

It is important to highlight that organizational learning must happen in the whole organization; it means that if an individual acquires new knowledge, he must share it.

Now, to answer the question of how can SME’s benefit from organizational learning, I have taken the example of a research paper that concludes saying “(…) learning environment provides manager with a deeper insight which leads the rational decision making and could help managers to tolerate the uncertainty in organizational learning process”

http://www.sinologic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sleep-learning.jpg

·         The Free Management Encyclopedia and Network . (n.d.). Retrieved 06 05, 2011, from 12manage: http://www.12manage.com/methods_organizational_learning.html

·         Abdul Malik, M., Idress, A. K., Sana, A. B., & Arsalan, M. G. (n.d.). MANAGERIAL SKILLS AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING IN SMES OF PAKISTAN. Retrieved 06 05, 2011, from www.scholarshub.net/vol2_i4/Paper_06.pdf

·         Singh, K. (2010). An analysis of the relationship between the learning organization and the organzational culture in Indian business organizations. In Organizations and markets economies (Vol. 1, pp. 142-165).