GOING BEYOND TOTAL QUALITY: THE CHARACTERISTICS, TECHNIQUES, AND MEASURES OF LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS

Corporate Environmentalism

An increasingly large number of organizations are attempting to integrate environmental issues with their corporate strategies. Tougher regulatory forces and increasing public environmental concern have led to the development of environmental strategies by some firms. This paper discusses the process of corporate environmental learning whereby organizations learn to integrate environmental issues with their business strategies. Using the theoretical framework of organizational learning, the paper examines the different ways organizations can learn to respond to environmental issues, the inputs to the learning process and the possible consequences of their actions.

The Meaning of Organizational Learning

This conceptual article focuses on organizational learning (OL), which is broadly defined as a learning process within organizations that involves the interaction of individual and collective (group, organizational, and inter-organizational) levels of analysis and leads to achieving organizations’ goals. This article explores a largely uncharted route of looking at OL through the lenses of several research paradigms and developing a meta-paradigm framework of this construct. The meta-paradigm framework accounts for the complexity of OL, as well as connections between its levels of analysis that have not been explained in the literature. The meta-paradigm framework of OL includes the definition of organization, the definition of OL, its ontology and epistemology, as well as its implications for human resource development (HRD) research and practice.

Learning organizations without borders? A cross-cultural study of university HR practitioners’ perceptions of the salience of Senge’s five disciplines in effective work outcomes

The learning organization has been put forward as an effective way of conflict management through the adoption of the disciplines of personal mastery, mental models, team learning, systems thinking and shared vision ( O’Keefe and Stewart, 2004 ; Fisher-Yoshida, 2005 ), but this depends to a large extent on the transferability of the concept cross-culturally ( Fisher-Yoshida, 2005 ). This paper investigates the transferability of the learning organization concept in British, German and South African contexts with a sample of university-based human resource (HR) management employees. Specifically, the paper investigates the comparative importance of Senge’s (1990) learning organization disciplines in generating effective work outcomes among HR employees in three different national cultural contexts. It is suggested that the importance of the learning disciplines in different countries may be influenced by prevailing cultural differences. The study interrogates the notion that the model provides a globally relevant tool for general applications in effective work outcomes. A survey was conducted utilizing HR practitioners employed by three separate universities in three countries (the United Kingdom, South Africa and Germany). Specific measuring instruments were constructed to operationalize Senge’s (1990) model. Results suggest influences of national culture on emphases put on specific aspects of the five disciplines in effective work outcomes.

Learning to Reduce Rework in Projects: Analysis of Firm's Organizational Learning and Quality Practices

While it is widely recognized that additional costs due to rework can have an adverse effect on firm and project performance, there has been limited empirical research investigating the influencing factors. The research presented in this paper determines if a firm's quality and learning practices influence the level of rework costs incurred in construction projects. Using a questionnaire survey, data was obtained from 161 Australian construction firms about the quality and learning practices employed by companies when delivering construction projects. The data analysis revealed that a firm's quality and learning practices did not significantly influence rework costs in projects. However, factors such as project reviews and external benchmarking were significantly correlated with project schedule growth. The size of the firm was identified as a factor that influenced the extent to which learning practices were implemented. The findings from the firms sampled indicate a low to moderate learning capability, which therefore can hinder their ability to implement best practice and work toward the reduction of rework in projects.