Learning Organizations a Great Deal of Research Article Review

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Learning Organizations

A great deal of research has been undertaken regarding the concept of learning organizations. The 2001 article with the title "The learning organization in health-care services: Theory and practice" by Leda Vassalou was published in the Journal of European Industrial Training. The article was written seeking to add to the existing literature regarding learning organizations, by first clarifying the concept of the learning organization and then examining barriers which may prevent or hinder a firm becoming a learning organization. In order to achieve this aim Vassalou (2001) identified four research questions the first involved identifying the difference between individual learning and organizational learning. The second research question was the identification of the type of learning that would be required to take place in a learning organization. The third research question asked what building blocks or other foundations were necessary for learning organizations. The last question, and possibly one of the most interesting, was whether or not there is a difference between learning organizations in the real world and the fairy of learning organizations.

The paper starts with a literature review, followed by primary research which was undertaken utilizing case study methodology examining two healthcare organizations to determine the degree to which organizational learning was present, one was hospital in United Kingdom, and one hospital in Greece (Vassalou, 2001).

The concept and definition of a learning organization is built on the literature review. Vassalou (2001) argues that a learning organization is built on the concept of organizational learning, which in turn is built on the learning undertaken by individuals. Vassalou, (2001) states that learning is the gaining of knowledge, and can include the concept of "know-how," and "know why." A range of authors are cited, including Argryis and Schon, with the view that learning only occurs when knowledge is applied to create different, repeatable behavior.

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The idea of organizational learning is aligned to the presence of double loop learning in an organization, rather than simply the presence of single loop learning. The conclusion of the literature review includes the idea that learning at an organizational level is most likely to occur where individuals within the organization are allowed and encouraged to learn, and that for a learning organization to emerge the suitable building blocks will include several characteristics that create an environment in which learning can take place as part of the culture, rather than as a separate exercise. These building blocks include a leadership style which not only supports learning, but actively encourages experimentation, a culture systems that facilitate the knowledge transfer between workers; a process that will also support creativity and innovation, a high level of cooperative teamwork, the presence of a strong mission/vision which also supports the gaining of knowledge, and a permissive culture that allows experimentation, including the ability to learn from mistakes (Vassalou, 2001). Organizational structure is also seen as an influencing factor that may support or hinder the development of a learning organization.

Following the literature review the qualitative case study research has presented. This was undertaken with the use of semi-structured interviews in both hospitals in order to assess the presence or absence of different characteristics associated with learning organizations. The findings of the research concluded that the UK hospital had a higher level of characteristics associated with organizational learning and learning organizations compared to the Greek hospital (Vassalou, 2001). Correlated with this….....

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