Knowledge Management Week 5 Organizational

Learning
1. People disagree with you because:
a. They are afraid
b. They dont know
2. Organizational learning
a. Organizations are made up of individuals how we
learn as individuals or groups is the start of
organizational learning
b. However, as an organizations grows a clear
distinction develops between individual and
organizational learning
3. Single and double loop learning
a. Behavioral learning single-loop learning involves
maintaining an organizations theory-in-use given a
set of problems, an organization is likely to act in the
same traditional way. e.g.: poor sales, sales people
pushed to work harder or be fired
b. Cognitive learning double loop learning involves
questioning assumptions and values assess the
problem more closely. e.g.: poor sales, customers find
their products unattractive or not value for money, try to
innovate products
c. Single loop cause-effect
d. Double loop you look to other reason of something
4. Organizational learning
a. Behavioral learning is a function of its consequences
i. Positive reinforcement such as praise or a reward
is likely to result in the desired behavioral
outcome
ii. Negative reinforcement such as punishment can
weaken certain behaviors
b. Cognitive learning is a function of changes in the
states of knowledge
i. Emphasis is on problem solving
ii. Understanding the different levels of experience
meanings and insights within individuals
5. Asian vs. Western learning
a. Prevent something bad (the authority warn them not to
do something bad) Asian
b. Learn from failure (they did something bad, and then
learn) Western
6. Sense making
a. Making sense of ambiguous situations of high
complexity and uncertainty e.g.: nuclear attack
b. Involves process of situational awareness to understand
linkages between people, places and events
c. Allows inferences to be made of future scenarios

d. Lack of situational awareness is primary factor affecting

human error
e. Use mental models from previous experiences think
back what the right thing that I did back then
f. Cognitive gap between mental models and new
observations or circumstances previous experience
and new observations do not fit
g. World is different from expectations
h. Meaning arises from labeling and characterization
socially defined
i. Not about truth or accuracy but updating plausible
stories through dialogue
j. Identity (who we think we are) shapes our mental
models and actions
7. Organizational learning
a. The concept behind knowledge management The
process of improving actions through better knowledge
and understanding
b. An organization learns if through its processing of
information, the range of its potential behaviors is
changed
8. Organizational learning Huber (1991)
a. Knowledge acquisition how do you get knowledge?
b. Knowledge distribution what do you distribute and
how do you distribute?
c. Information interpretation can we interpret what we
distribute?
d. Organizational memory does the organization need to
keep this information?
9. Knowledge acquisition
a. Congenital learning how you learn for the first
time/learn from people
b. Experiential learning (experiments, self-appraisal,
unintentional, learning curve)
c. Vicarious learning (from videos, i.e. observational)
d. Grafting (from new people brought into the organization)
e. Searching and noticing (scanning, focused search,
performance monitoring)
10.
Information distribution
a. Links with organizational communication
b. Probability that A will rout information to B (member or
unit)
c. Probability of delay in routing information by A to B
d. Probability and extent of information distortion by A
when communicating to B
e. Ex: when teacher tell one of the student to tell other
students that next week they should bring the
assignment. The student who was told may not straight

11.
a.
b.
c.
d.
12.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
13.
a.
b.
c.
d.
14.
a.
15.
a.

b.
c.

d.
16.
a.
b.
17.
a.

away inform it to other students. The information may

get lost
Information interpretation
Cognitive maps and framing differ from individuals
Media richness variety of cues medium can convey
and rapidity of feedback e.g. face-to-face or via email
Information overload detracts from effective
interpretation individuals capacity to interpret
Unlearning discarding obsolete and misleading
knowledge
Organizational memory
Personnel turnover results in loss of organizational
memory
Non-anticipation of future needs means that memory
may not be stored
Who has the information I want?
Storing and retrieving information
Computer-based organizational memory
Unlearning
Unlearning is a process through which learners discard
knowledge. Unlearning makes way for new responses
and mental maps
Challenge and negate processes to unlearn world views
Challenge and negate connections between stimuli and
responses
Challenge and negate connections between responses
(to new situations)
Organizational routines
Organizational routines multi-actor, interlocking
reciprocally
Dynamic capability
Is a learned and stable pattern of collective activity
through which the organization systematically generates
and modifies its routines in pursuit of improved
effectiveness
Double loop learning?
Learning mechanisms (experience, knowledge
articulation and codification) lead to dynamic
capabilities which, in turn lead to evolution of operating
routines
Ex: Cafe Bean, Starbucks, Subway
Social perspective of Organizational learning
Learning takes place through interactions between
people shaped by cultural norms
Social and political processes impact on organizations
ability to absorb new knowledge and practices
Absorptive capacity
Ability of organization to absorb and apply new
knowledge

b. Capacity to learn and solve problems

c. Knowledge capacity driven by high previous experience,
diversity and commonality
d. Knowledge capability driven by problem solving and
knowledge transfer abilities
e. Gatekeepers important to transfer knowledge across
boundaries
Toyota Case Study
18.
The Toyota way:
a. Challenge
b. Kaizen
c. Genchi Genbutsu
d. Respect
e. Teamwork
19.
Outcomes:
a. Improvement in overall quality
b. Reduction in errors
20.
Technology Application
a. Problem-based learning
b. E-learning
21.
Three broad factors are essential for organization
learning and adaptability
a. A supportive learning environment
b. Concrete
22.
A supportive learning environment
a. An environment that supports learning has 4
characteristics
i. Psychological safety: to learn, we must not be
fearful of being belittled or marginalized
ii. Appreciation of difference: learning occurs when
people become aware of opposing ideas
iii. Openness to new ideas
iv. Time for reflection
23.
Concrete learning process and practices
a. It does not happen by chance
b. Involves generation, collection, interpretation and
dissemination of information
c. Must be shared in a systematic and clearly defined way
24.
Leadership that reinforces learning
a. Is strongly influenced by the behavior of leaders
b. When leaders demonstrate a willingness to entertain
alternative points of view, employees feel embolden to
offer new ideas
25.
The future of the learning organization
a. Leadership alone is insufficient: we need to also
consider the cultural and process dimensions of learning
b. Organizations are not monolithic: managers need to be
especially sensitive to local cultures of learning, which
can vary widely across business units

c. Comparative performance is the critical scorecard: how

your organization compares to your competitors or
benchmark data
d. Learning is multidimensional: environment, process and
leadership respond to different forces
26.