Organizational Learning Levels

After we talked in the previous article about the concept of organizational learning, we will continue talking in this article about the levels of organizational learning.

Organizational Learning Levels

Individual and organizational learning within the context of Industry 4.0 have become a mandatory aspect in managing complex industrial processes, in which different tasks are carried out by different partners in separate geographic spaces, both intra and inter organizations [1]. It is commonly agreed that, on the one hand, organizational learning is not simply the sum of individual learning, on the other hand, organizations cannot learn without individual learning. This involves a process of transforming individual level learning to organizational level learning [2]. Here, researchers pointed out that multi-level learning moves in the directions of feed forward learning and feedback learning. Feed forward learning helps individuals and teams explore new knowledge, and then institutionalize this knowledge at the organizational level. It then moves from individuals to groups and then to the organization. As for feedback learning, it helps exploit existing knowledge (at the organizational level), making it available to groups and individuals, i.e. learning moves in the opposite direction from the organizational level towards groups and then individuals [3]. Accordingly, it can be said that organizational learning takes place within three levels in the organizational pyramid: the individual level, the group level, and the organizational level [4], they can be referred to as follows:

First: Individual Learning Level

Organizational learning depends on human learning. Humans learn continuously, not only in purposeful structured learning situations but also all the time. They are constantly engaged in perceiving their environment as well as their own internal processes and relating both of them to each other. In this way, they make sense of the environment and of themselves being part of it and to seek to exert influence on both. Individuals’ perceptions, interpretations, and experiences inside and outside the organization have an important impact on learning [5]. Further, because members of organizations are inter- dependent, learning how to coordinate members’ activities is a critical part of organizational learning [6]. Individuals learn through dialogues and inquiries at the individual level, and therefore individual learning is important but not sufficient alone for organizational learning. Individuals are able to increase their organizational learning capabilities as a result of their individual learning experiences if their organizations provide continuous learning opportunities in addition to providing support and reward for using new knowledge [7]. In other words, the impact of individual learning is limited to the individual level if the learning does not result in a change in the behaviors of individuals. Accordingly, the organization can benefit from individual learning when it is shared, discussed, and practiced jointly [8].

This type of learning focuses on the generation of new insights, taking actions that are experimental in nature, breaking out of traditional mind-sets to see things in new and different ways, scanning the external environment, developing the competencies to do one’s job, having a sense of pride and ownership in one’s work, and being aware of the critical issues that affect one’s work, all at the level of individual. Overall, it is defined as follows: Individual competence, capability, and motivation to undertake the required tasks [9].

Second: Group Learning Level

Knowledge generated by individuals alone will not spread throughout the organization, and organizational learning will not be complete if information is not shared and shared meanings are not developed [10]. Teams are the driving forces that can transform individual learning into organizational learning, provided that they are granted broad autonomy. Teams can share the ideas and beliefs of individuals, on the basis of which visions, goals, and objectives for the organization are created [11]. At the team level, individual ideas are transformed into knowledge, which in turn extends within the organizational environment, facilitating future learning [12].

Group learning involves the sharing of individual interpretations to develop a common understanding. We use the term “group learning” to represent this process rather than the more commonly used term of “team learning”. In many cases there is no team, but simply a group of individuals who struggle to develop a shared understanding. It includes such elements as effectively working in groups, having productive meetings, having the right people to address the issues, and encompasses key elements of dialogue including being prepared to share both successes and failures, encouraging diversity, and effective conflict resolution [13].

Third: Organizational Learning Level

Although social learning by individuals can contribute to organizational learning, organizational learning is more than the aggregation of individual learning curves [14]. It can be deduced from this that individual and organizational learning are interdependent, but cannot be the same. “Further, it is clear that organizational learning is not the same thing as individual learning, even when the individuals who learn are members of the organization. There are too many cases in which organizations know less than their members” [15]. Organizational learning is not simply the learning that comes from individuals and groups. There is also a role for the organization as a whole. For example, organizational structures capture the understanding that has developed over time about the nature of business and how it should be managed. Systems and procedures are tools used to identify the data that has been acquired and where it should be directed [16].

Studies have indicated that there is a need for learning at the organizational level, and here two points of view have emerged about the nature of learning at the organizational level. Some researchers considered the organization to be a collection of individuals (human perspective), while others considered the organization to be a collection of systems, structures and procedures (non-human perspective). Regarding the first point of view, a question arose about who exactly is meant by individuals? Are they all individuals in the organization or only individuals in senior management? Studies have also indicated that the organizational level is more than just a widely shared understanding; but it represents the translation of this shared understanding into products, processes, procedures, structures and linking them to the strategic context. The non-human elements of the organization are what remain even if individuals leave, so organizational level learning includes the inclusion of individual and collective learning in the non-human elements of the organization such as: systems, structures, procedures and strategy [17].

It can be said that all levels of learning are important, but the group and organizational levels of learning have a greater connection with knowledge and performance than individual learning. Individual learning is important, but learning must be shared and transformed into group and organizational learning to drive organizational performance [18]. In addition to the above levels of learning, studies have indicated that learning can occur between companies and within a network or industry; bringing organizations together can lead to learning new technologies and successful strategies [19].

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References

The primary source of the article is: Al-Farhan, Mohannad. (2022). The role of continuous improvement technique on organizational learning process: An applied study on the electrical appliances manufacturing sector. Master’s thesis, Faculty of Commerce – Menoufia University. / The thesis can be obtained by clicking here.

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