Organizational learning is one area that is developing fast. This concept is ideal especially in the field of strategic management, as aims at improving organization’s competitive advantage in terms of market analysis, improvement of corporate performance and future forecasting.
Besides these benefits, organizational learning affects financial and non-financial sectors of the company. In embracing network interpretation of organizational learning, learning utilizes social network, thus, it is imperative for facilitators to ensure the learner plays a fundamental target for the entire learning process (Hakansson and Johnson, 2001).
Therefore, networks in organizational learning can be considered better learning objectives than conventional methods. According to Hakansson and Johnson (2001), network learning supports numerous advantages over the other types of learning. This is in terms of content, method, the organization and the level of research.
On content, network learning ensures that the learner obtains the skills and knowledge about the company hence, ends up becoming an experienced practitioner in the company. Moreover, networking learning encourages practical methods. Practical techniques used integrate the learner to interact with real- life situations while learning the theoretical parts hence shaping his or her knowledge.
This saves organizations time required to expose the employees to “real” working environment (Hakansson and Johnson, 2001). Consequently, it facilitates interaction with social worlds besides encouraging research. By encouraging research network learning combines different research levels which may include; multiple and the relational level.
Jones and Macpherson’s article articulates how developed SME’s with shortage of internal resources tend to source for external resources to facilitate possible strategic renewal. In organizational learning, it is considered of great importance for managers to distribute knowledge across the organization if competitive benefits are to be realized.
External knowledge holders which include; suppliers, customers and learning institutions strengthens the development of new concepts in the organization, hence, they then spread across the organization to be implemented, improving efficiency. The process of ensuring all people in the organization aware of new strategies being introduced, integrates the learning process.
In this sense, external resources are considered to complement internal strategies, because internal strategies sometimes fail to meet organization’s needs. External strategies ensure that organization is able to acquire information relating to market performance hence adjusting their operations accordingly.
Absorptive capacity refers to the ability of the organization to adapt to new policies and ideas being introduced in the organization (Mazzucto, 2002). This is determined by skills possessed by individuals within the organization as well as the time available for these new skills to be implemented.
In organization learning, absorptive capacity determines the time to be taken in implementing new ideas. In some cases such as; when the concepts are totally new to the organization, the management is expected to ensure that all staff members understand the general concept of what is being done. This simplifies learning process.
The other role played by absorption capacity organizational learning is the determination of the time taken for implementation of new ideas (Mazzucto, 2002). When the management has an overview of the absorptive capacity in the organization, they are more likely to device methods of improving the time taken for implementing the new strategies introduced promptly.
Organizational learning can enhance productivity in an organization if appropriate strategies are embraced. Networking learning for instance, provides a wider scope where organizations employees can amass wider knowledge.
This is in the sense that, an employee is exposed to the outer world thus; sharing of important business skills and information with others in a similar network can add value to him or herself besides boosting the organization productivity.
References
Hakansson, H., and Johnson, J., 2001. Business Network Learning, Emerald Group Publishing, Bradford
Mazzucto, M., 2002. Strategy for Business, Sage, California