Organizational learning is crucial for the long-term success and adaptability of organizations. A healthy learning process should for example enhance collaboration and communication, improve decision-making, lead to lower employee turnover, contribute to innovation and growth, and increase the competitive advantage.
I have been researching and working with organizational learning for more than 20 years. Time and again I'm struck by just how challenging this is. Viewed from a logical perspective, it seems so simple: if there are some people who need a particular type of knowledge and others who have that knowledge, then it should not be difficult to find a way to share it. We have all sorts of options today. Yet it is still sometimes so difficult. Why is this?
My point of departure has always been that people are people. Perhaps we do not want to share our knowledge. Doing so may mean losing power and influence. As the well-known saying goes: ”Knowledge is power”. Perhaps we are afraid to reveal what we know. In other people’s eyes, my knowledge may not be at all special or unique and if this comes out I run the risk of being ridiculed and losing status. Perhaps we have difficulty in expressing ourselves when what we know seems so obvious. Or perhaps we do not enjoy being fed other people’s skills and advice. It is more fun to be recognized for your own knowledge. Nor should we forget the time factor. In today’s society, time is scarce and this naturally has consequences for learning – learning often takes time.
In 1999, I was offered a doctoral position in the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University. This gave me the opportunity to start investigating the mystery of learning on a serious basis. My journey led me to the realization that a large part of the problem with regard to learning is essentially that people do not understand the human learning process from a psychological perspective.
Regardless of the type of organizational solutions or processes we want to implement, we must understand:
how we function cognitively (that is to say, intellectually),
our limitations,
and what motivates us to both learn from others and share our own best practices.
The journey of developing and implementing a global knowledge sharing strategy at the multinational project development and construction company Skanska is described in my book "Eight Steps to Sustainable Organizational Learning - How to Tackle Search and Transfer Barriers", Springer Verlag.
The model is built upon a people-to-people approach. It consists of eight steps and each step begins with a central question:
IDENTIFY NEED AND PREPARE THE ORGANIZATION: Is there any benefit to be gained from increased learning within the organization? (this is not obvious, there needs to be meaning)
MOBILIZE MANAGEMENT: Which direction should we take? And which learning model suits the organization best? (the solution should be aligned with the organization's DNA)
CREATE RECOGNITION: How can we capture attention in the initiative?
MOBILIZE THE ORGANIZATION: What should the organization learn? And from whom?
VISUALIZE KEY BEARERS OF KNOWLEDGE: How should people find the sources of knowledge within the organization?
COMMUNICATE VALUE AND PROGRESS: How well does the initiative work?
EXPAND: Which areas should we develop further?
