What is learning? “Acquiring new, or modifying existing, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesising different types of information”…Wikipedia..

Why Organisation’s need to learn? Dynamic environment- cope with rapid and unexpected changes Globalisation- increasingly competitive Customer demands-quality customer service Continued improvement Breakthrough strategies

Organisational Learning “The detection and correction of error” (Argyris &Schon, 1978) through individuals acting as agents for them “process of improving actions through better knowledge and understanding” (Fiol & Lyles, 1985) “process of knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation and [enhancement of ] organisational memory (Huber, 1991) “the way firms build, supplement and organise knowledge and routines around their activities and within their cultures and adapt and develop organisation efficiency by improving the use of the broad skills of their workforces” (Dodgson 1993)

Types of Organisational Learning Single-loop Learning –Carrying out activities that add to the knowledge base or firm-specific competences or routines without altering the fundamental natutre of the organisational activities (Dodgson, 1993) –Also known as lower-level learning (Fiyol & Lyles, 1985), Adaptive Learning or Coping (Senge 1990) and Non-strategic Learning (Mason 1993)

Double-loop Learning – “it involves changing the organisations knowledge base or firm-specific competences or routines” –in addition to detection and correction of errors, organisation questions and modifies its existing norms, procedures, policies and objectives (Dodgson 1993) –Higher-level learning (Fiol &Lyles 1985),Generative learning (Senge 1990) Strategic Learning (Mason 1993) Types of Organisational Learning

Process of Organisational Learning Governing Variable (Goals, values, Frameworks, Strategies) Consequences (Intended or Unintended) Action Strategy (Moves and Plans to keep within governing variables) Double-loop Learning Single-loop Learning Adapted from Chris Argyris: Theories of action, double-loop learning and organisational learning, (Smith 2001)