Discussion
Generally, organizations develop only when they learn from the daily interactions with the patients, community, staff, suppliers, and all other stakeholders involved. Senge (1992) championed that there are five differentiated theories on which a learning organization is based; these models include; systems approach, individual mastery, mental approaches, development of shared visions, and team learning approach. These theories have characteristics needed to support organizational learning (Walburg, 2006, p.17).
Theories on Health Care Profession
In systems thinking theory, an organization and its interaction with the environment is comprised of systems with interdependent components. The individual and an organization are both parts of such a system; for this reason, it’s hard to see that system. In case a problem requires to be solved; the system must be made visible, as rarely do problems occur in merely one of the components of the system. Rather, problems are usually embedded in the total system. This is an important aspect in the development of thinking in terms of processes in the health care profession; and thinking in health care chains and management of diseases (Carayon, 2007, p.15).
In individual mastery approach, individuals develop their personal skills and knowledge in an organization. This is a focused development as a result of someone’s personal goals. The strongest basis of this approach is created when both individual and organizational goals match. In the health care profession there is a strong dependence on the specialist expertise (knowledge) of the individual profession (Argyris, 2000, p.19).
Mental approach enables employees to capture their organizational vision. It contains internal and usually implicit assumptions and generalizations about the organization. This bears the risk of rigidity especially when the environment impels the organization to change. In building shared vision and team learning approaches, the organization needs a mission and a vision, and people to work in teams respectively. Missions and visions create unity and coherence between the activities of the organization’s components.
The Concept of Organizational Learning
Learning processes in organizations take place at three levels; individual level, team or group level, and organizational level. Learning at the individual level enables each health care professional to acquire certain amount of knowledge through education and experience maintaining that professional knowledge up to date and expanding upon it. At individual level, learning manifests itself in terms of improved professional work technique and improved treatment results.
Learning also takes place at team or group levels. At this level, a group or a team of health care workers who work together in a care process develop collective knowledge, skills and competencies. Learning involves collective knowledge and skills acquired in the process of collaboration of the group or team members and the mutually reinforcing competencies. At team level, learning manifests itself in the improvement of results in a particular process under the team’s responsibility.
Lastly, learning takes place at the organizational level. Organizational learning is centered upon the knowledge acquired and developed in order to be able to collectively implement the mission of the organization. Learning is directed at the achievement of organizational goals. Organizational learning includes improving the quality of an organization’s overall functioning, and developing new services and products. Learning in organizations is manifested in the improvement of performance of the organization as a whole. Argyris (2000) contends that “organizational learning relates to the experience-based improvement of the implementation of organizational goal” (p. 54).
In its simple form, organizational learning occurs when an error is detected and consequently rectified. This process is referred to as single-loop learning. Single loop learning does not change the organization or the principle of the health care process (Argyris, 2000, p.54). In single-looping form, an assessment is made whether the health care process met the applicable standard; if it did not, adjustments are made. Many projects of quality improvement nature can be referred to as single-loop learning. Double-loop learning entails changing the underlying principles. Double-loop learning is about why health care is delivered in a certain way, why health care professional collaborates in a particular manner, and to achieve more fundamental and sweeping changes (Argyris, 2000, p.67).
Conclusion
In sum, progressive health care organizations must have characteristics required to support organizational learning. Health care organizations provide varying environments for adaptation to change. They can be characterized based on dimensions such as, structure, capacity to absorb new knowledge, and receptive context for change at different levels. At the individual level, a health care professional gathers a specific amount of knowledge through education and experience. At the team level, health care workers can collaborate in a care process where they acquire collective knowledge, skills and competencies. Lastly, at the organizational level, organizational learning relates to creating knowledge about learning processes at the organizational levels. These characteristics are embedded in health care organizations and are necessary to support organizational learning (Walburg, 2006, p.13).
References
Argyris, C. (2000) On Organizational Learning. Oxford, Blackwell Business.
Carayon, P. (2007) Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety. London: Routledge,
Walburg, J. (2006) Performance Management in Health Care. London: Routledge.