Report on: Learning, Knowledge and Effective performance

Learning is an extremely essential process for accomplishing business objectives and important to

the practice of improving organizational performance.It crosses over any barriers between the

organization’s existing capacity and that required to deliver the business results. Accordingly, it allowsall

the employees to gradually but consistently gain their personal competence and develop to their full

potential. According to Bass & Vaughan (1966), “Learning” is defined as “a relatively permanent change

in behavior that occurs as a result of practices or experience”. In the same chapter, we can deliberate

other terms from which organizations have to build up to improve their performance, especially their

staff’s capability in the long run. That is, “Education”–is the development of the knowledge, values and

understanding required in all aspects of life rather than the knowledge and skills relating to particular

areas of activity, in which, “Development” is defined as the growth or realization of a person’s ability and

potential through the provision of learning and educational experiences. On the other hand, ”Training”

refers to the planned and systematic modification of behavior through learning events, programs and

instruction which enable individuals to achieve the levels of knowledge, skill and competence needed to

carry out their work effectively. (Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Numerous organizations

have known the importance of adapting learning within their work structures and processesso

thatthey can straightforwardly promote cooperative learning at work. The action of promoting or

supporting learning at work is regularly undertaken owing to the supposed advantage of sharing

both knowledge and experience about work amongstaffs. Though, learning at work is likely to

already exist obviously within the work processes of the organizations. The foremostobstacle of

supporting learning at work is the number of new elements that you have to cope with—

including work organization, work roles and relationships, boundaries, politics,

organizationalperceptions, business strategy and priorities (Child, J. (1972).The management of

learning in an organization confirms a well-informedstaff and supportsin preparingstaffs for

business and industry changes. From orientation training for new staff to current skill

developments, managing the learning process of employees makes sure that the capability of the

organizationwill meet objectives and thus increasing productivity. Learning can be executed in

formal and informal approaches, but it is extremely vital to evaluate and track the success of all

learning initiatives. Effective learning management will definitely generates a learning

organization that gradually increases employee knowledge (Senge, P. M. (2014). Building up a

learning organization is never an easy task but its huge advantages coming behind are worth the

consideration and implementation. That is to say, it helps promote learning in the organization

through staff exchanges in a teamwork environment. Implementation needscompetentstaffs and

decentralizing authority to motivate individual learning creativities, with the main goal is to

encourage staffs to search for information as needed from others or references to

progressivelyimprovethe organization knowledge. Additionally, a learning organization creates

more opportunities for the organization to achieve corporate unity with common visions between

board of executives and staffs.

The opportunity to learning thrives throughout the work environment. Comprehend

clearly how to efficientlyuse and control them to take full advantage of the influence of

workplace learning in any organization. Workplace learning occurs when staffs, teams,

organizational and cross-team work, knowledge and experience are developed through engaging

in daily work activities. (McDermott, R. (1999). Getting and following direction and support in

the work environment increases more learning opportunities, thus contributing significantly to

staff‘s self-confidence and efficiency in their work performance. Theoretically, Reay (1994) has

propose seven key factors in learning psychology, which are Motivation; Relevance to personal

interest and choice; Clear goals and objectives; Practice and learning by doing; Self-checking on

progress (providing feedback; Freedom to make mistake; Able to learn in their own time, at their

own pace. Motivation or a sense of purpose – staffs learn best when they see a worthwhile end-

result of the whole process of learning. Relevance to personal interest and choice – learning will

be motivatingto its full extent if it is understood as relevant by the learner. Learning by doing –

because “practice makes perfect”, understanding is crucial to effective performance but then only

doing or bringing what you learn in mind to reality can promote real understanding. Freedoms to

make mistakes in safety – when learning by doing, staffs are likely to run the risk of failure.

Learning actions or practicesneeds the assurance that individuals know that it is harmless and

allowed to fail, but trainers are required to help them learn from their mistakes. Learners mustto

be given feedback on how they are doing by giving learners the means to assess their own

progress is the finest method, i.e. self-checking. Freedom for learners to learn in their own time

and at their own pace - learning will absolutely be more efficient if learners or staffs can manage

it themselves in line with their own favoritesof the way it progresses. Additionally, Kolb and

associates in 1974 defined the experiential learning cycle which comprises four phases and it is

outlined in the following scheme:

 

(Source: http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html)

Kolb defined the following thesis: Concrete experience – it canbe planned or accidental;

Reflective observation – involves active thinking on experiences and their significance; Abstract

conceptualization (theory) – generalization of experiences so as to developvarious concepts and ideas

which may be applied in similar situations; Active experimenting – testing of concepts and ideas in new

situations. This will give rise to new concrete experience and the cycle repeated. Kolb shows the learning

process as a context of learners’ mindset transforming between the modes of concrete experience and

abstract conceptualization, and reflective observation and active experimentation. Therefore, the

effectiveness of learning depends onthe aptitude to balance these modes, which Kolb sees as opposite

activities that promote learning to its best.

Investing in human resources over the practice of training and management development

considerably increases individual staff abilities and organizational competencies. However, investing in

human resources is far different from investing in equipment, apparatus or machinery. Once an

organization invests in new modern assembly line, let's say, the cost can be devalued over the years

despite how modern and high technology it is; but when investing in human resources, or in general,

management development, the cost cannot be depreciated and even gain in multiples years after.

Improving the knowledge and skills of its employees is the superlative path to gain benefits for the

organization in the long run. How should the organization measure the effect? According to Kirkpatrick

(1959) from the measures of training program success, there are four criteria recommended: Reaction -

what the staffs thought of the certain program; Learning - what principles, facts, and techniques staffs

learned; Behavior - anevaluation of progress of staff work performance; and results - theeffect of the

training program on organizational goals, for instance turnover, costs and absence. Organizational

learning is an extremely fundamental part, plays an important role in any company’ performance because

it facilitates effectively innovation, original strategies, and high development in terms of productivity and

efficiency. The effects of learning at work are moderately clear. Through the action of learning, staff will

find solutions to better their performance, including their knowledge and skills and more crucial the

understanding of the way individual objectives fit in with that of the organization. In the external

environment, it even brings more astonishing results such as lower the cost, greater customer satisfaction,

less wastages along with greater productivity, more motivation for the staff when their job satisfaction is

fulfilled. Argote and Ingram (2000) propose that knowledge transfer can be measured by

measuring changes in performance.

But because comparatively few have studied, empirically, the links between learning and

performance and the management of such processes, and because it is not entirely absurd that new

learning might not lead to performance adjustment, research is justified. With the aim of classifying the

area of study, it is alleged that the process involves the development, employment and capitalization of

knowledge.

Another specific part we need to consider is knowledge-sharing culture within the organization.

Knowledge-sharing is popular to be intrinsically essential to the health of most business. Research shows

that a “willingness to share” is definitely related to productivity and labour cost. Focus group members

thought that knowledge-sharing is optimistically correlated to growth and innovation, bottom line

savings, increased customer satisfaction, increased shareholder value and learning (Smith, H. A., &

McKeen, J. D. (2003).

The Four Basic Types of

Organization Culture (Goffee & Jones, 1996)

In brief, a culture of knowledge-sharing goes deeper than external individual behaviours and

catches the hearts and minds of the employees in an organization.

We consider a case study of a company which applied principles of organizational learning within

its internal environment for all staff. VT Group is a privately held United States defence and services

company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper

Thorneycroft. The British part of Vosper Thorneycroft was integrated into Babcock International Group

in the early 2010s and no longer uses the name VT Group (Source: https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/VT_Group).

The Group has more than 12,000 employees, mainly in the UK and the US, with a turnover of

£1.6 billion. From merely a shipbuilder in the past, VT has renovated itself adapting to the changing

nature of the market by noticeably transforming its business segment, reorganizing and turning from a

manufacturing to an engineering-based support services great corporation. VT Group has achieved

numerous significant successes with its distinctive operation principle “Enhancing performance through

employee engagement”. I totally agree with VT Group CEO’s opinion when sharing the know-how of

elevating human resources’ performance within the organization, which is mainly focusing on

“engagement of its people for the common purpose” in terms of developing the skills, leadership, the

understanding among staff. The research conducted has shown that staff who is engaged in the practice of

learning for better performance comes out of reforming more quickly and accomplishing the commercial

benefits faster than others who are not engaged. All staffs in the organization as a result need to develop

their skills and approach, which means the company must change the mindset of staffs from that of a

traditional manufacturer to one that is more flexible, dynamic and of industrial working style. The role of

senior managers in this practice is vital, initially with effective communication between them and the

team which requires clear, consistent and convincing directions from the managers and encourages

feedback from staff to make sure that they understand and take on board messages. Another point that I

say yes with VT Board of Executives when they really show their concern about raising the awareness of

the staff on business values and culture in which they are encouraged to share knowledge and consult

each other when appropriate, especially from people with relevant knowledge with no hesitation. They

have directed a widespread activity of communicating and discussing organizational learning and values

at workshops with all staffs, clearing up the importance of each staff’s knowledge and individual

performance to the common performance of the entire corporation. The values concentrate on

empowering staff and supporting individual in their learning to develop their personal values to its full

potential; approaching by organizing activities which supports innovation and creativity with teams and

among teams such as the workshop “ I can do/ I cannot do and why?” in which staff will have the chance

to share their thoughts on how to obtain the best of their potential as well as their experiences on

overcoming obstacles in the process of learning for better work performance. In the macro level, VT

Group also fortifies their strength with vital transformation processes in the organization, including an

extensive program of training their efficient staff, a new performance-related appraisal system, an

agreement within the staff on changing poor behavior and bad attitude, designing rewards to motivate

staff on improving their actual work performance shown by their periodic productivity and other

assessments. VT emphasizes on values-driven commitment which is proved to enhance team working,

mutual support, better individual responsibility, independence, cooperation resulting in superior

improvement: more ideas of high quality and certainly more creativity within the organization. Even

though the innovation practice has not reached its purpose, the organization is sure it will complete its

objectives.

Through a survey conducted within the organization in 2013, some results were shown to us for

evaluation of VT’s supporting learning at work through training. Accordingly, the practice of training is

used by 76% of organizations; training in VT is a “tool for organisational change” like 35% of

organizations. Additionally, line managers are responsible for delivering training to direct reports in 36%

of the organizations - again as in VT. Above all, VT wants to actually elevate their core staff by support

them in the learning of their needed items which is supposed to be the most effective way to improve the

performance of the whole group because more than anyone, human resources is the most valuable asset of

an organization.

Bass, B. M., & Vaughan, J. A. (1966).TRAINING IN INDUSTRY--THE

MANAGEMENT OF LEARNING.

Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource

management practice.Kogan Page Publishers.

Child, J. (1972). Organizational structure, environment and performance: The role of

strategic choice. Sociology, 6(1), 1-22.

Senge, P. M. (2014). The dance of change: The challenges to sustaining momentum in a

learning organization. Crown Business.

McDermott, R. (1999). Learning across teams. Knowledge Management Review,8(3),

32-36.

Reay(1994). Human learning. Merrill.

Kolb D. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and

development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Kirkpatrick, D. (1996). Great ideas revisited. Training and Development, 50(1), 54-59.

Argote, L., & Ingram, P. (2000). Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantage

in firms. Organizational behavior and human decision processes,82(1), 150-169.

Smith, H. A., & McKeen, J. D. (2003). Instilling a knowledge-sharing culture.Queen’s

Centre for Knowledge-Based Enterprises, 20(1), 1-17.