Workplace as Learning Organization
Learning organization is described as an organization where people expand their capacity consecutively, to produce the desired results. It is also a place for nurturing new and extensive patterns of thinking, where collective aspirations are set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. The underlying principle behind this is to be more flexible, adaptive and productive in cases of rapid change situations. In order to achieve that goal, it is also argued that organizations need to ‘discover how to tap people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels.’
All people have the capability to learn. However, most of the times, the systems in which they have to function are unfavorable to activities such as reflection and engagement. In addition, there may be lack of tools and guiding ideas, in making sense of the situations they face. Organizations that constantly develop their capacity in creating their future have a crucial need of change in mind among its members.
Meaningfulness of their experiences is what most people value during their stay in a great team. People talk about the incidents when they became part of what seems to be ‘larger than them’, of being connected, of being generative. Here, it is quite clear that, for many, one period in their life where they lived it to the fullest, is their experience being part of truly great teams. Some even spend the rest of their lives bringing back that spirit.
For , real learning gets to the heart of what it is to be human. It facilitates the recreation of ourselves, which is applicable to both individuals and organizations. That is the reason why survival itself is not sufficient for a learning organization. ”Survival learning” or more often termed as “adaptive learning” is therefore important and necessary. In addition, “adaptive learning” must be joined by “generative learning”, which is defined as learning that enhances our capacity to create.
Nowadays, education and training are not the only scopes of educational institutions. Education and training is now viewed in terms of a broader system that involves workplaces, educational institutions, individuals and an array of other government and community organizations. The strengthened competitiveness of the economy, and demographic, occupational and workplace change have had a major impact on the workplace’s nature. These changes imply a need of a continuous development of the employees’ skill level. Thus, the required skill mix of organizations is adjusting, along with the employers’ demanding generic skills. These include communication and problem-solving skills, in addition to the technical skills. In this case, the role of workplace learning (both formal and informal) is becoming more significant when it comes to workforce’s education and training. At present, there are no significant accreditations to most training in the workplace, though the total extent and diversity of workplace learning is extensive.
Based on a research done in Australia, if workplace learning was effective, enterprises would demonstrate the following features. First, workplace learning is primarily aimed at the promotion of the enterprises’ innovative capacities. Second, organizational culture must be created to support and value, training and learning. Third is the inclusion of training and learning in the strategic planning cycle, and as part of doing business. Fourth is the use and value of training and learning (in all forms) according to circumstances. Fifth, training should be customized to individuals and should be made to increase work capability. And lastly, networks, partnerships and supply chains will be used for the promotion of training.
Workplace Learning
The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA 2002) defines workplace learning as a learning or training undertaken in the workplace, usually on the job. This includes on-the-job training under normal operational conditions, and on-site training, which is conducted away from the work process (e.g. in a training room). From their own perspective, workplace learning should provide you innovation skills. Therefore, innovation is a key concept in a firm’s ability to be competitive. In the ‘ideal’ workplace-learning situation, a systemic approach involving networks and partnerships is critical.
The Ideal Workplace-Learning Situation
Workplace learning is focused at enhancing an enterprises’ innovative capacity. Thus, they should be providing enterprises innovative abilities. (2001) noted that the changed nature of products and services demanded, as well as the required technologies and forms of communication, are all due to the advent of the global economy. This has required changes in enterprises and ‘demands more skilled, dynamic and innovative work’ in order for them to be competitive and to stimulate productivity improvements.
Factors Influencing Training
(1999) found workplace change to be a key driver of organizational training. In addition, they found other factors such as environmental and moderating factors, which affect levels of training. They also proposed that, the determination of what type of training to use depends on the way of interaction of the drivers and moderating factors. (2002) also found workplace change as a major driver of training in enterprises. However, in contrast to previous research, it was found out that volume does not vary by enterprise size. Instead, the nature of training does. They also found out that smaller enterprises engaged more in informal training, compared to larger enterprises. That is why their model takes into account, both the volume and nature of training in enterprises.
In the overall research, several factors that influence and drive training in organizations are identified. They are subdivided into two, the drivers and moderators. Under the drivers’ part includes workplace change. It consists of change initiatives’ varieties, including tasks’ and organizational structure’s changes. Another one is quality, which is a commitment to its initiatives. It could also be a part of the workplace change. Third, business plans where training is included as its part. Lastly is the industrial relations factor. It answers the questions on whether employees are covered by industrial awards, and whether training is included in the said awards. On the moderator part, the first is the enterprise size. It is the number of employees at a worksite and in the enterprise. Second factor is the effects of the industry. Third is the occupational structure, which is the proportion of employees, who are managers or professionals. While the fourth and last factor is the workforce structure, which is the proportion of full-time permanent, part-time and casual staff.
While research and development are important drivers of innovation, (2000) note that for most enterprises, innovation is more on the systematic improvement of performance. Thus, the employees’ skill development is aimed at enabling improvements to be made on the currently used processes, products, and services to contribute to the enterprise’s performance.
The Importance of Workplace Cultures
In the workplace, supporting and valuing a learning culture is important. The reason behind this is the need of ongoing learning for survival, especially in times of increased competition. With the aim of providing their employees with additional skills and improving what they currently have for continued employability, organizations can play a vital role in promoting lifelong learning. It can be possibly achieved by providing your workers a conducive, working environment, suitable for continuous learning. The workplace serves as a key site for the development of generic skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, information technology and customer service skills. These skills are critical in today’s workplace, particularly those concerned with employability. Moreover, the culture of the workplace needs to assist individuals in developing or using the said skills, effectively. For example, in order to improve problem-solving skills, workers must be encouraged by their superiors to reflect on the organization’s current practice, as well as to tolerate risks.
However, on the other hand, there is a need to shift some people’s mindsets, away from their old perspective of workplace learning, which is as a cost. Instead, they should recognize it as an investment.
As Johnston and Hawke said, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach when it comes to learning cultures. They can take a variety of forms and are context dependent. In their study, it is found that learning cultures are being implemented in different ways. For example, in some of the organizational case studies, establishment or expansion of employees’ training opportunities, are involved in the building approach of learning culture. In other organizations, there were expansions made in the levels of informal learning. It is done through the introduction of enterprise-specific initiatives. One organization (which is known to have present access to a well-established training system, through its parent organization) was interested in fostering an entrepreneurial approach, involving staff taking the initiative and seizing opportunities.
Despite the fact that there are several approaches of implementing learning cultures, there are still some common underlying features. One is the open communication style. It was found out to be an essential ingredient in fostering a learning culture. It includes people conversing about and sharing with others, what they have learned, as well as people developing their communication skills. This had made them effectively network with others and contribute to the decision-making. Another one is the innovative systems/structures. These include the implementation of training and/or learning assessment systems, organizational restructuring, performance review systems, as well as the development of documentation and data to support learning.
Another important feature is the role of workplace trainers. They have a complex and broad role in initiating and supporting informal learning, one-on-one learning as well as formal recognized learning through the delivery of national training packages. Another feature is the function of informal learning. Informal learning can be built into organizational systems to enhance performance. Informal learning is not an ad hoc process. Rather, there is an interrelationship between informal learning and work. That is, learning can be incorporated within the work by, for example, providing employees with a variety of tasks. Or if not, by arranging the work in a manner which maximizes the opportunities of learning.
Another feature is the fostering of generic skills. The culture of the organization supports the development of generic skills; for example, communication, problem solving, teamwork, information technology and customer service skills. Other features include an awareness of stakeholders and strategic partners, the application of learned-skills into work, utilization of a mixture of different forms of training and learning, and people being accorded with respect in the organization.
Training and learning are a part of doing business. Therefore, it should be included as an integral part of the strategic planning cycle.
There are a lot of benefits to be gained in the alignment of human resource development plans with the organization’s strategy, as well as business units within the organization. In order for organizations to be and remain, competitive, they need to undergo a continuous performance improvement. In turn, this will have implications on their skill levels and on the employees’ training needs. This alignment often occurs in high-performance enterprises characterized by change, teamwork and a commitment to training.
Research has also found the integrating of training with business strategy, as a very important driver of training activities in enterprises. For example, in a study of the relationships between management practices and enterprise training, (2002) found that links between strategy and training has a positive effect on a number of training-related variables. These variables include the number of employees receiving training, the level of its external provision, the use of training plans, focus on behavioral skills training, an increased level in the workplace delivery of training, and a greater use of workplace trainers. They concluded, in the context of their study of enterprises undergoing organizational change, that the link between training and strategy is the most important driver of training.
Training and learning are valued, no matter what the form is. It is also used according to the present circumstance. As already indicated, there is a diversity of training arrangements available in enterprises including formal training (often referred to as structured training), on- and off-the-job training, coaching, mentoring and other forms of informal training. Formal training can be either accredited (such as undertaking a competency-based training package), or non-accredited.
The array of training arrangements can be either formal (structured) or informal (unstructured) training. It can be in the form of external, which are training courses imparted by an external contact by individuals with other students, and training provider and instructor-led either by teachers in their course, or even contact within the classroom, at the workplace or by family, business or social networks. Examples of which are observation, listening, asking questions, reading, listening to the radio or watching television and distance education.
On the other hand, it can also be internal as in an in-house training course or instructor-discussion with other colleagues, or observing led program delivered at the workplace with other colleagues’ work, asking questions, being or on the job, coached, mentored, and self-study.
The Extent of Training and Learning in the Workplace
(2002) pointed out that calculating the level of learning and training activity in the workplace is not an easy task. Many estimates include only government-funded or formal training, which grossly underestimate the total amount of training taking place in Australia. Nevertheless, some data seeks only to cover more than just formal workplace training.
Informal Learning and its Importance
Informal learning has been under acknowledged in terms of reporting in statistics and on its importance as a legitimate form of workplace learning. The term ‘informal learning’, however, is somewhat misleading. According to some commentators (2001), it is even depreciatory. It is also indicated that both formal and informal learning are valuable to skill formation. Finding the right balance between them is also important. In a study of workplace trainers, (2000) found the central importance of informal workplace learning. Furthermore, they found an existing inter-relationship between learning and work.
Therefore, informal workplace learning is not merely an ad hoc process. Instead, it is a part of a methodical strategy that considers the work to be done, and the skills needed to do the work. This may, for example, involve the assignment of different tasks to employees, or arranging the work in a way of maximizing learning opportunities. Informal workplace learning is of big importance, especially to small businesses. Contrary to available statistics, a number of studies showed, that there is a substantial amount of training taking place in small businesses, although it tends to be informal. For example, (2002) points out that small business are committed to such training due to the lack of internal resources needed in undertaking a more formal approach.
According to (2002), small businesses rely on informal learning (to a large extent), in order to achieve its immediate business needs. However, he still argued that the development of formal approaches should be paid more attention in the future. On the other hand, Figgis et al. (2001) argue the use of formal and informal learning together, with informal learning expanding the value of formal learning.
To increase work capability, organizations should aim at providing training that meets the needs and supports the strategy of the business. In addition, training should be modified according to individuals. Traditionally, there exists the offering of organization-wide training programs. Yet, it does not essentially address all the skills needed by individual employees. To be able to achieve this, an increased adaptation of training for individual employees is required.
The Changing Nature of Training
The nature of training in organizations has changed in light of the current changes in the workplace. Organizations are also found to be carrying out individual-level needs analysis. This is done for the individuals’ development. There are two main reasons for doing the said analysis. First, the organization wishes to gain monetary benefit from their investment in an individual’s training. After all, one of the major aims of training and development is to increase workforce capability, thus increasing performance and productivity. Secondly, (2002) note that quality training can also assist in retaining the current workforce and in attracting more skilled workers into the company. Associating the change towards individualized training has been increased decentralization of the training function.. (2002) found that the roles of the line managers have expanded, for the training of their staff. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of workplace trainers, coaches and mentors assisting in this process. While these workplace trainers have an important role in developing workplace individuals, Smith et al. argue that much of the training is delivered by staff that are not qualified to do so. This brought up the concerns regarding the quality of training being delivered. (2000) also raised this concern in terms of workplace trainers delivering training that lies outside the nationally developed competency standards within training packages.
Management Skills
Enhancing one’s unique skill levels has also been a focus of the Frontline Management Initiative. This initiative was brought about by concerns about the level of frontline management skills in Australian enterprises ( 1995). It focuses on increasing organizational effectiveness through assistance of managers in expanding their generic skills in areas such as people skills, analytical thinking and attitudes to change. An evaluation of this initiative (2002) has shown that it is producing positive results, although more needs to be made of its benefits. One attribute of the initiative, according to it, was the ability of individual enterprises to adapt and implement the Frontline Management Initiative according to their circumstances.
Learning in the workplace is not just something that happens. It is a part of a wider system. This system consists of the enterprise and its managers, the individual, the external training provider, and other organizations such as government and community bodies. There is a transformation in thinking about how these various elements view each other. Instead of being discrete, the various elements form networks and even become partners. Within a systemic approach, the networks and partnership arrangements are of fundamental importance.
Summary
Arrangements about workplace learning are important for employers in developing innovative capacity in enterprises. The main issues here are developing a culture of learning, training linked to business strategy, valuing all forms of training, customizing training to increase skill levels, and the importance of networks and partnerships.
First, the ability to develop innovative capacity depends not only on the skills of the workforce, but also on the internal environment of the enterprise and hence the culture of the workplace. While there is a variety of ways of its implementation, an open communication style is an important feature of the cultures of learning.
Second, aligning training and strategic planning in organizations who are wishing to improve performance, has a lot of benefits in it. This alignment is a major driver of training in organizations. The training is designed to improve the skills of employees and their ability to contribute to the performance of the enterprise. E-learning is an important way of integrating learning with strategy.
Third, there is a range of training arrangements present in enterprises, and these should all be valued, considering the circumstances surrounding the enterprise. This includes informal learning, which plays an important role in the enterprises’ learning, particularly in small enterprises.
In addition, training should also be customized according to the level of individual employees. In addition, it should be aimed at increasing the skill levels of managers. The report ( 1995) amongst other things noted the importance of creating managerial climates that values innovation and diversity. The Frontline Management Initiative was developed to provide managers with the necessary skills that enable them to develop a culture of innovation.
Networks and partnerships are seen as being particularly important in the innovation process. An example of this is networking, as well as learning from suppliers and customers on issues that can result in the developments of processes, products, and services. E-learning is valuable in developing these networks. Engagement by enterprises with the community has also been shown to bring benefits to enterprises, communities and individuals. The formal VET (Vocational Education and Training) sector has the ability of providing customized training according to the enterprises’ needs. Vocational education and training can also accredit training undertaken through auspicing arrangements and recognition of prior learning arrangements. For the temporary employees, VET can provide opportunities for group networking.
In addition to the above issues, enterprises see the increasing importance of the generic skills in developing innovative capacity, thus, increasing competitiveness. To be innovative requires flexibility in the undertaking of the work. That is why skills such as problem-solving, communication, information technology skills, team building and adaptation to change are seen as being particularly important nowadays.
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