Throwback Thursday: Become a Learning Organization

 

A true learning organization is a result of five interrelated disciplines: personal mastery, shared vision, team learning and mental models, which make up the foundation of the organization, and systems thinking is the cement that holds it all together. This throwback article from 2004 by Ashish Mithal, a new products manager for Waddington North America, reviews some curent business thought in organizational learning and outlines how learning initiatives can serve as a central strategy for mold shops to stay ahead of in today's competitive times.

These five disciplines are key ingredients for fostering learning within an organization and for building and sustaining learning organizations. It starts with individual learning. In a learning organization individuals strive to contribute toward a shared vision. Well-adjusted mental models are constantly challenged and refined in pursuit of personal mastery. Personal, department or business unit goals are aligned with the mission of the organization. Furthermore, in learning organizations teams are empowered to learn together and see their work as a part of a whole, with respect for interrelationships and processes that are dependent on one another. Group or team learning leads to additional individual learning and higher levels of personal mastery. Thus, a powerful learning loop is created. Lifelong commitment to organizational learning and the continuous learning cycles leads to competitive advantages and higher levels of organizational success.