Learning organization

Learning Organization (LO ) denotes an adaptable, responsive to external and internal stimuli organization. The term is used in the organization development (OD ).

Reinhardt and Schweiker distinguish between adaptive and learning organizations. This distinction results from the fact that learning ability does not necessarily has innovation as a result. It is also conceivable learning from example foreclosure, withdrawal, resignation or resistance ( Wagner & Saar). The degree of learning ability of an organization is called organizing intelligence.

A learning organization is ideally a system that constantly is in motion. Events to be construed as a suggestion and used for development processes in order to adapt the knowledge base and maneuver to the new requirements. This is based on an open and characterized by individuality organization that enables and supports an innovative problem solving. Mechanisms that support such learning processes are (see Frieling ):

• Clear vision, common purpose processes, orientation to the benefit of customers
• Cooperation and conflict solving, mutual trust and team spirit
• Process orientation and self-regulation in groups
• Democratic and participative style of leadership, support of new ideas (mainly through the guide ), idea management, integration of staff and organizational development
• Reward of commitment and fault tolerance in risky projects
• Ability to (self-) monitoring and forecasting ( well-functioning information and communication systems - faster and more accurate overview of the function of the key processes )

Learning organization according to Senge

Peter M. Senge was the Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management and director of the Society for Organizational Learning SoL. It was around 1990 with his book The Fifth Discipline known, in which he coined the concept of the learning organization.

Senge argues that 5 skills ( disciplines ) must be mastered in order to develop learning organizations:

It takes all five disciplines in order to develop a learning organization. The disciplines supported reciprocally, and in a process of development the organization's ability to be raised gradually.

Organizational memory

The term " learning organization " is misleading. Not organizations learn, but people within the organizations. Walsh and Ungson explain on the basis of this finding, that there are six sources of information in organizations that can provide the necessary information for learning. These six sources call them summarily the organization memory ( engl. organizational memory).