Business – what goes on inside?
Input + Process = Output i.e. every business takes inputs from environment, adds value (through knowledge/skills) and converts the inputs into output in the form of useful products or services for customers. This is a continuous process across industries across the globe.
Well, we all know that the environment is dynamic. There is constant evolution in inputs available in the environment. There are also new Skills, knowledge & technology emerging in the market place continuously resulting in enhancement in processes. Customers’ preferences keep changing and they have new options available. In fact, there is a constant inflow of new customers and outflow of existing customers from the marketplace resulting in demand for new and better outputs. So, in the modern times it is not enough to acquire one-time knowledge, build a channel and establish business if you wish to run an organization that lives long.
If business has to thrive or at least live long enough in this dynamic world, it is imperative that the business keeps continuously upgrading skills/knowledge. The upgraded skills help business entities to continuously evolve along with or ahead of the evolution of inputs, process and outputs in the industry.
This process of upgradation is possible when the organization keeps learning continuously regarding the possible/necessary improvements constantly happening in the environment in which it operates. Organizations which master the aspect of continuous learning and adapt to the changes would continue to stay relevant. Else, the fittest survive and the rest go extinct. We all know several examples of even the mightiest of Organizations and Organisms gone extinct since they failed to learn & adapt.
This is where the concept of ‘Learning Organization’ gets into the picture.
By definition, A learning organization is one in which people continuously absorb knowledge by design through external & internal sources and continuously put the knowledge to use for progression of the organization.
Building a Learning Organization
Learning as Cultural aspect. It is not enough for just a few people to learn in order to build a learning organization. Continuous Learning should be a widely practiced behavioral aspect at all levels in the organization. Culture is a great tool to promote any behavior widely across an organization. Leaders need to find ways to promote continuous learning as a cultural aspect. People should be helped to understand that gone are the times where one would acquire a skill and make a living based on the skill until retirement. Several of yesteryear’s sought after skills are redundant today and same is going to be the case with today’s saleable skills.
The purpose of promoting Continuous Learning as cultural aspect is to create the desire in individuals to practice Continuous learning as a virtue. The fact that Learning can be fun and can enhance the excitement of work-life should be leveraged.
Art of Learning. Once the desire to Learn Continuously is created at an organizational level, it is important to provide avenues for learning.
Curiosity and Learning come naturally to kids. Several adults may have lost the ability to be curious and the aptitude to learn continuously. Though the desire to learn has been created, they are likely to do better with some help, at least until the initial inertia is overcome.
Leaders need to act as the guiding light of Learning by communicating the vision and the future focus areas of the organization. Workforce should be guided on the What aspect of learning. They should be communicated with the short and long term vision of the organization, the possible current and future trends in the marketplace and what could be the focus areas of learning. This is the point at which vision meets strategy and gets converted into efforts.
Once the What aspect has been clarified to the workforce, the Where aspect needs to be addressed. Employees need to be provided with avenues where they can access the knowledge. Some of the avenues of learning could be benchmarking with Competitors, learning from best practices of diverse industries, close knit relations with educational institutes where research on relevant topics happens, analysis of past successes/failures, cross-functional projects within the organization, internet-based learning, etc., apart from the already widely prevalent forms such as Class Room Training, Outbound camps, Corporate trainers, Seminars, etc.
Individual Knowledge = Organizational Knowledge? Learning which is stored in the form of memory or data in the mind of an individual cannot yet be termed as Organizational Learning. It can be called organizational knowledge after it is shared with other relevant persons and can be used for future references or can be put readily to use for organizational progress. Leaders need to devise methods for this happen. Some of the ways this can be made possible are knowledge sharing sessions at periodic intervals, revising Standard Operating Processes using the acquired knowledge, revisiting existing processes, continuous improvement programs/projects, etc. Such measures also reduce the ill-effects of indispensability of individuals in the organization.
Learning + Practice = New Skill. It is commonly known that knowledge which is put to practice and repeated use gets converted into skill. In a learning organization, new knowledge is acquired continuously creating the opportunity to create new skills. It is the responsibility of Managers to identify such windows of opportunities and take advantage of the new skills. For example, when Apple Inc. acquired the skill to marry aesthetic sense with utility aspect of computers, it created a competitive edge and the company managed to make the best out of the skill. An entire BPO industry has emerged based on the above principle.
Knowledge Put to Use. Knowledge acquisition or Continuous Learning Process is not an end in itself. The end objective is to use the knowledge to keep and maintain the organization in a progressive trajectory. In order for the last mile to be conquered in the process of building a Learning organization, Leaders need to find suitable methods to bring the learning to life. Innovation drives with specific timelines, new product/service developments, Customer Experience Enhancement Programs etc. are some ways to ensure the learning culminates into Competitive advantage/business gains for the organization. Developing new and data based approaches to Organizational problem solving at Team levels is another important way of putting the learning to practical use. Learning organizations prefer to work with data rather than hunch or gut-feeling based decision making.
P-D-C-A. Continuous Learning process needs continuous improvement as well. Once the process of building a Learning Organization is plotted and put to action, periodical measurement of progress is imperative for success. Deming’s continuous improvement cycle is a great guiding factor to ensure progress is measured and necessary corrective action is put in place. Remember, only that which can be measured can be managed.
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