Learning and innovation: What is a learning organization?

Résumé du document

In this report I will try to explain what I know and understand about this topic: learning organization. After research about this subject, I am going to show you my personal idea with some examples from my work experience. I planned to start this essay by a definition of the learning organization. After this part, we will know what exactly this theory is. To define this term, we will base on several definitions. The objective is to find our own definition. After the first part, we are going to see the life of Peter Senge. This is one of the famous actors of the development of this notion. I think that is a good idea to introduce him. To build our point of view, I choose to introduce him and his work but also use an interview between a journalist and Peter Surge. This last point allows discovering the main question of this topic and answers of Peter Senge. Then the next part try to explain the main points of this theory called the fifth discipline.

Extraits

[...] He built the Society for Organizational Learning. About his work, he studied all old famous American companies to find his concept: the Fifth discipline. For example: Ford, Chrysler, shell. His study started nearly in 1970 and is not still finished. He is still studying this kind of company to improve his concept. With his main book, Peter Senge became famous. By developing his concept and view firms like a dynamical organization, he helped to improve knowledge into American firms first and western countries in a second time. [...]

[...] This concept improves the relationship with customers by ameliorating quality. Moreover it is easier to understand risks and allows innovating. Another aspect is transform into the company, the personal aspect. The spirit between employees is better and now this how firm has to work. To conclude this report, I think this concept helps firms to be competitive and ameliorate the quality of product and services. In general, it allows understanding customer and finding their new needs. Into the company, the work spirit is better and allow for everyone to feel better because everyone has a role to play in this evolution. [...]

[...] The aim is to improve the general idea - Systems Thinking The last discipline is teaching how manage problems and how work the thinking process. This point explains to not forget what people learnt in the past and how to reach the objective even if we have problems. After this explanation of the fifth discipline, basis of the learning organization concept, I would like to enclose a table which highlights the main point of this theory. Source : http://www.albany.edu/sph/Hoff_learning/hpm_tim_learnorg.htm Why use this concept? [...]

[...] What is a learning organization? What has the impact been on companies that have embraced organizational learning concepts? How do you measure the level of success of learning organizations? What are some of the practices organizations and individuals can continue or even begin in terms of transformational thinking? How do we get started? And then once we are started, how do we keep it going? Source: http://www.solonline.org/organizational_overview For the first question Peter Senge said that everybody discovered in this life the team work. [...]

[...] Now we can build our own definition by mixing these to definition and our knowledge around this subject: A learning organization is a concept which describes an organization which tries to learn new abilities, skills and knowledge to stay competitiveness. This concept should be into understand, use and manage by everyone from the organization. This theory has to be used every day to have an impact. Three points: everyday everybody - knowledge Then, we defined learning organization. It is time to introduce one of the main authors about this subject: Peter Senge. [...]