A learning organization can be described as a company with the capacity to anticipate customer needs and respond to change rapidly and effectively. The characteristics of people in learning organizations include a strong desire to learn from every situation and to focus on reaching and exceeding their expected results. These people embody creative thinking and innovation and are open and honest about admitting mistakes.
As business becomes increasingly dynamic and complex, the successful organizations will be those that discover how to increase commitment and capacity to learn at all levels of the organization
Foundation of a Learning Organization
Learning Is a Requirement for Success. Create an environment where learning is part of the business expectations. Employees should be expected to have a continuous learning mindset.
Measuring Learning Is a Requirement for Success. Learning must become part of the overall company strategy and then become part of its measurement system. Adding a learning component to a Balanced Scorecard is one way to emphasize and measure it. The commitment to learning can also be built into the performance and development system and become part of the annual review process. Each individual should have up to three learning goals for each business year, and this should be planned, documented, and clearly linked to better achievement of objectives and plans.
Creating Learning Opportunities Is a Requirement for Success.Many organizations provide in-house training opportunities for employees to upgrade and learn new skills. In some cases, specialized learning needs can be accommodated through the use of external seminars. The key to success is that each individual has a commitment to learning and has a mindset toward self-directed learning. The test of this commitment is that development plans are documented and completed.
Learning about the Customer Is a Requirement for Success. You must be learning as fast as your customer. Constant communication with your customer, customer satisfaction assessments, and focus groups can all provide opportunities for feedback and better understanding of customer thinking and priorities. The idea is to be able to think like your customer and anticipate needs in advance.