Creating a Learning Organization Culture
“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.” Confucius
Envision working in an organization where work feels more like play, where failure is not penalized but rewarded because learning from the past improves the future. Envision working in an organization where everyone has an opportunity to become an expert in his/her current job and/or develop for a future role. And imagine this organization not only builds intrinsic motivation for employees, but cultivates team learning, all leading to improved performance results. Yup, fun, psychological safety, continual professional development, ongoing process improvement, intentional knowledge sharing; and increased productivity, improved safety, enhanced quality and customer satisfaction, reduced costs, lower absenteeism and reduced turnover. It is within the workplace culture of a learning organization (LO) – first introduced to us by Peter Senge in his book, The Fifth Discipline. In this type of workplace environment, all employees are provided the opportunity to acquire knowledge, share ideas, challenge the status quo, utilize evidence-based decision-making and systems-thinking in each and every task.
From an engagement view, this LO culture supports autonomy, competence, purpose, connectedness, and professional development – all antecedents to a highly engaged workforce.
Five facets of Senge’s Learning Organization are:
Shared Vision – Clear and sensory understanding of the utopian future in which everyone has an image of this future we will focus on creating. I say utopian because I find the best vision statements are more sensory than cognitive – a desired state of the future.
Systems Thinking – Understanding and addressing the larger system, that includes complex dynamics of interpersonal relationship, along with integrating people, processes and technology to create a larger view. Instead of a task, we evaluate the system; instead of a policy, we review the impact of policy with the organization and its shareholders.
Personal Mastery – Learning to enhance personal mastery on current role, and/or any task/responsibility in an organization.
Team Learning – Creating systems and practices that leverage individual knowledge into team and organizational competence, enhancing agility and flexibility of individuals, teams, and organization.
Mental Models – Continuously challenging the status quo and addressing unconscious biases in how we see and understand our organization, and how these views direct our actions.
We may want to consider this a lifelong learner workplace, or a growth mindset culture (C. Dweck). Call it what makes most sense to your leaders. And be clear that this is an answer for many businesses as we are continually developing our capacity to learn and grow. What most of us are required to do, in response to the external environment’s force from this global economy and high-tech world.
Want to learn more about creating a Learning Organization culture?
Contact Dr. Patti Sullivan, info@tampacoaching.com or LinkedIn: Dr. Patricia A. Sullivan for group coaching and LO culture design.
Read: Senge, P.M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. Currency, Doubleday, New York, NY.
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Dr. Patti Sullivan is a leadership coach, working with executives in diverse organizations. For over 15 years, she has assisted leaders in challenging their limited beliefs, cultivating key relationships, finding ease in leading high performing teams, and delivering exceptional results.