Research Results for P4 Prepared by Nikolay Filinov, Alexander Settles, Nadezda Bek and Nina Vladimirova of the Department of General and Strategic Management, Faculty of Management, SU-HSE, Moscow

4.1 The Evaluation of Perceptions of Finnish and Russian Managers Regarding the Organization Learning Potential of Their Firms Professor Alexander Settles

Research Question Business Culture as a Variable to Determine whether a Learning Organization will be Successful –Is there significant variation in the shaping of learning organizations based on the country business culture? –Will the firm’s supportive learning environment vary with country location? –Will there be variation in the development of a concrete learning environment based on country location? –Will be a significant variation in the management support and leadership in creation of learning environment based on country of operations?

What is a Learning Organization Psychological safety to implement these techniques Allow for the appreciation of differences Openness to new ideas

Hofstede's Cultural Estimates for Finland and Russia PDIIDVMASUAI Finland Russia US World Averages

Survey Concerning Learning Organization - Building Blocks Survey components 1.A supportive learning environment 2.Concrete learning processes and practices 3.Leadership that reinforces learning

A Supportive Learning Environment Psychological safety Appreciation of differences Openness to new ideas Time for reflection

Time for Reflection People in this unit are overly stressed. Despite the workload, people in this unit find time to review how the work is going. In this unit, schedule pressure gets in the way of doing a good job. In this unit, people are too busy to invest time in improvement. There is simply no time for reflection in this unit.

Concrete learning processes and practices Learning processes involve the generation, collection, interpretation, and dissemination of information Knowledge must be shared in systematic and clearly defined ways –Knowledge sharing can take place among individuals, groups, or whole organizations –Knowledge can move laterally or vertically within a firm. –Knowledge sharing can be externally oriented (networked)

Information Collection This unit systematically collects information on: –Competitors –Customers –Economic and social trends –Technological trends This unit frequently compares its performance to: –Competitors –Customers –Competitors –Best-in-class organizations

Analysis This unit engages in productive conflict and debate during discussions. This unit seeks out dissenting views during discussions. This unit never revisits well-established perspectives during discussions. In this unit, we frequently identify and discuss underlying assumptions that might affect key decisions. This unit never pays attention to different views during discussions.

Leadership Score My manager(s) invite(s) input from others in discussions. My manager(s) acknowledge(s) his/her own limitations with respect to knowledge, information, or expertise. My manager(s) ask(s) probing questions. My manager(s) listen(s) attentively. My manager(s) encourage(s) multiple points of view. My manager(s) establish(es) forums for and provide(s) time and resources for identifying problems and organizational challenges. My manager(s) establish(es) forums for and provide(s) time and resources for reflecting and improving on past performance. My manager(s) criticize(s) views different from his/her own.

Results Psychological Safety Appreciation of Differences Openness to New Ideas Time for Reflection Information CollectionAnalysis Education and Training Information Transfer Leadership Finland Russia US

Results Russian respondents rated the Appreciation of Differences on average more than 8 points higher than Finnish respondents Firm practice of Education and Training Finnish respondents rated their firms nearly 14 points higher on their practices. In Russian business culture leadership is crucial for all decisions including creating a learning organization

Leadership that reinforces learning Organizational learning is strongly influenced by the behavior of leaders If leaders signal the importance of spending time on problem identification, knowledge transfer, and reflective post- audits, these activities are likely to flourish Employees feel emboldened to offer new ideas and options

Leadership that reinforces learning Results