In the contemporary corporate setting, there has been a great deal of attention on issues of communication, human resource management, and ethics. As a result, there have emerged numerous fields such as management, education, transformational learning as well as management, ethics, among others (Willmort, 1994). Critical management is a field of training that has been associated with ambitions to transform individual learning into applicable and observable changes in management practice.
The theory of critical action learning is a central aspect of management learning and this is exemplified in the writings of various thinkers in the field such as Reynolds, who made a distinction between content and process radial pedagogies (Vince, 2008). The former is used to disseminate content in critical theories while the latter is used to address the asymmetries of power in the convectional teacher-student relationships.
These have been further underscored by the emergence of new forms of discourse such as emancipatory discourse, which is seen as a means through which people can be freed from the traditional institutional forces (Raelin, 2008). It has been recognised that there is a need to humanise organisations and reduce the level of autocracy that has often resulted in undermining the individuality of workers. This is justifiable given the restrictive nature of most traditional corporations where the senior echelons were allowed or even able to make decisions while the output of the subordinates was largely ignored. The increase in the dominance of economics in political and social life required the expansion of emancipatory discourse.
Otherwise, the autocracy in the corporate work would spill over to other spheres of life. Vince proposes that there is a fundamental difference between learning in an organisation and organisational learning (Vince, 2001). To justify this position, he constructs a conceptual framework that attempts to prove that organisational learning can only be perceived through the dynamics of power that emerge after there is an interaction between the political and emotional aspects of the organisation (Trehan & Pedler, 2009). This is based on the psychodynamic theory and the reflections on the politics that are at play in the organisational elements of the corporate organs (Rigs, 2004).
He argues through the case study of Hyder Company that the tension within an organisation is mediated by the various actions of individuals. The central argument, which is echoed by various scholars, is that the ability and capacity of individuals to learn is based on the level of commitment of the firm towards promoting their development. When the differences for various individuals are considered collectively, the overall impact on a firm is considerable (Vince, 2004). Therefore, the management could work towards reaping from individual differences to improve performance outcomes.
When it comes to dealing with individuals in a work setting, it is very important that the organisation takes into account its various social-cultural differences, which profoundly impact its methods of operations and perception (Vince, 2004). To this end, critical thinking has been found to play a significant role in streamlining the management, employer relationships and facilitating organisational learning. As a skill, critical thinking can be combined with storytelling, which is key in the promotion of critique of knowledge, authority as well as allowing one to keep an open and objective mind (Gold, Holman & Thorpe, 2002).
It makes it easier for workers to relate with managers and colleagues with whom they may not share professional ideologies. Issues such as gender and race that have retrospectively been controversial in the workplace and affected the running of various organisations can be put in their right context through critical thinking, allowing people to consider them from an objective point of view.
Through critical thinking and reflection, one is better placed to comprehend the revolutionary Marxist traditions in which emancipation is seen as a departure from the oppressiveness of social structure and the ultimate acquisition of social change through struggle as opposed to regulated internal dialogue (Rigg & Trehan, 2004). From a historical point of view, the discourse projects have often been based on rationalist language that tends to preclude marginalisation.
At the end of the day, when ensuring effective organisational dynamics, one can think of an organisation as more than just a system of complicated patterns and structures. Instead, an individual could see it as an establishment thinking, where there are vested emotional and political patterns that, if not understood and controlled, can restrict the relationship between learning and the organising aspects of management (McLaughlin & Thorpe, 1993).
Through a critical approach to organisational learning, management encourages doubt over the traditional and established habits and allows room for the introduction of new ideas, creating much-needed room for creativity and innovation, which are critical in the contemporary corporate world. Ergo, the focus on organisational learning tends to assume that it is a social aspect as opposed to the individual point of view. Therefore, it focuses more on analysing power relations and the politics and emotions that are mobilised in the immediate context of the learning organisations.
References
Gold, J., Holman, D., & Thorpe, R. (2002). The role of argument analysis and story telling in facilitating critical thinking. Management Learning, 33(3), 371-388.
McLaughlin, H. & Thorpe, R. (1993). Action learning- a paradigm in emergence: The problem facing a challenge to traditional management education and development. British Journal of Management, 4(1), 19-27.
Raelin, J. A. (2008). Emancipatory discourse and liberation. Management Learning, 39(5), 519-540.
Rigg, C., & Trehan, K. (2004). Reflections on working with critical action learning. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 1(2), 149-165.
Trehan, K., & Pedler, M. (2009). Animating critical action learning: Process-based leadership and management development. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 6(1), 35-49.
Vince, R. (2001). Power and emotion in organizational learning. Human Relations, 54(10), 1325-1351.
Vince, R. (2004). Action learning and organizational learning: power, politics and emotion in organizations 1. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 1(1), 63-78.
Vince, R. (2008). ‘Learning-in-action’ and ‘learning inaction’: Advancing the theory and practice of critical action learning. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 5(2), 93-104.
Willmott, H. (1994). Management Education Provocations to a Debate. Management Learning, 25(1), 105-136.