Organizational learning is systematic training given to employees, often involving an entire group learning to conduct business in a new way. Effective leadership and accountability are vital for real change, and training should meet the individual needs of different learners and learning styles. Companies should invest in employee education, especially in emerging technologies, to adapt to changing consumer needs.
Organizational learning is a term used to describe the systematic instruction or training given to employees of a company or professional group. Organizational learning is sometimes called change management because it often involves an entire group of workers learning to conduct business in a new way. An example of this concept can be seen in a company that sends most or all of its employees to a seminar or workshop to learn a new computer program.
There are several approaches to educating large groups or organizations. Sometimes a whole group approach is taken and the company or operation closes for a period of time during training. It is also common for only department heads or top-level management to be retrained and then filtered through the system to other employees. With all organizational learning, effective leadership and accountability are vital for real change.
Effective professional development must clearly express the need for new information or techniques, and must allow individuals to buy into the changes to come. This can be done by providing clear and dynamic instruction and training in the early stages and following this up with frequent checks for understanding and support during implementation. Facilitators or trainers with high knowledge, personality and ability to provide individual feedback can be helpful in achieving positive organizational learning.
With adult learners, it can be beneficial to provide organizational learning that meets the individual needs of different learners and learning styles. Adult learners are generally quite skilled and comfortable with techniques currently used, and introducing new techniques may result in resistance or discomfort. New methods also involve a learning curve for current employees; therefore, effective organizational learning must take these factors into account.
An established business or organization may find that change can be helpful in adapting to new developments in the industry. For this reason, organizational learning is sometimes called adaptive learning. A company can pride itself and sell itself as an adaptive organization. One area where companies should invest in employee education or organizational learning is with emerging technologies. As consumers change, technology usage increases, industries need to change and adapt to meet changing consumer needs.
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