LEARNING ORGANISATION: LEADING TO CHANGE

HAFIZAH BINTI PULLI

MP 121128

LECTURER

ASSOC. PROF. WILFREDO HERRERA LIBUNAO

DR. AMIRMUDIN BIN UDIN

MPK 1023 ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT IN TVET

MASTER IN TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

31ST

MAY 2013

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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION 3

2.0 DEFINITION OF CHANGE 4

3.0 EDUCATION

3.1 Managing the Changes in Education

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4.0 LEARNING ORGANIZATION LEADING TO CHANGE 7

5.0 CONCLUSION 10

6.0 REFERENCES 11

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

In the new millennium approached, the changes in scope and pace occur rapidly in the

overall developing sector. Therefore, to survive and prosper in the 21st millennium, where

the changes are like water flowing; going non-stop, individuals must adopt a new way of

doing organization based management. This is necessary to ensure that every organization

has the capability to learn and be able to change continuously, quickly, and effectively

(Naresh and Kumar, 2006). This new way of management should be performed on every

organization especially education institutes, including schools, polytechnics, colleges, and

universities, which is heavily influenced by the effects of development. Impact of this

development not only affect the exterior of institutions, but also the interior, particularly the

educational institutions themselves. This statement is also supported by the Deal (1990),

which states that;

Schools are feeling this tidal wave of change in ways that have left many

educators consciously or otherwise confused, exhausted and disillusioned.

(Deal, 1990, p.131)

According to Deal (1990), the wave changes have a significant impact on the school,

which has left confusion, frustration, and fatigue among teachers either consciously or not.

To avoid this continues to happen, new management in a systematic way should be

implemented quickly. Management system should be carried out in line with the growing

changes ahead. Constant change makes the management of an organization should be

dynamic and not static.

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Therefore, the challenge in school or at any educational institution is to accept change

strategy that provides stability in moving forward. These challenges may be faced with the

focus on a strategy change where learning is seen as the most important resource for

organizational reform in the post-modern era (Hargreaves, 1995). Next school function or

educational institute is also known as a learning organization emphasized deep to improve

performance and build capacity to deal with change. This is consistent with the statement

Ayyupp and Perumal (2008), Moloi (2010), and Senge (2006) in the Lope Pihie and Nazari

(2012) where organizational learning is the most preferred bail to face the challenges in the

education system today.

Learning organization is an ideal for developing the ability to give feedback to

various pressures they face (Finger and Brand, 1999). Therefore, to face constant change, the

implementation of a learning organization is very necessary especially on the entire

educational institutes including schools, polytechnics, colleges, or universities. According to

the statement of Garrat (1987), he also stressed the importance of school or any other

educational institution as a learning organization where the pace of learning in the

organization must be equal to or greater than the rate of change in the external environment in

order to avoid lagging behind the changes that occur.

2.0 DEFINITION OF CHANGE

Change is a word often heard in everyday life, it is also often encountered from time

to time. Usually the changes happened with a reason or a purpose. Normally, the change

occurs when a normal thing replaced with something new. In other words, changes can occur

when every existence transform or change with others. It is also possible that change caused

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by something that is normally done or seen transform into something else. This statement

also supported with the changes definition by TheFreeDictionary.com where change is refer

to replacement with another, usually of the same kin or category.

According to answers.ask.com, change is a way of learning. Meanwhile, learning is a

process of knowledge development. Based on the statement by Britton (2002), learning

involved a process of acquire knowledge. Therefore, change also can be define as a way to

gain knowledge and developed it.

Based on the meaning of the word change, it show that every changes is very

important to happen in order to move forward. Whether in individual behaviour, thinking,

performance or management, with only a little transformation able to lead to improvement.

Changes also able to lead to enhancement within individual to a group of people thus creating

an organization. This is align as stated in the answer.ask.com whereby through changes, an

individual, group or even organization able to find the best way in doing something. Doing

things in different ways is much more better than doing thing with the same ways. This

proved that with changes or transformation, things become much easier and beneficial.

Furthermore, changes help an individual to acquire more knowledge on how things work and

able to adapt with different environment.

In Malaysia, variety of changes and transformation has been done. Starting the

colonial period until the present, changes have never stop which involve every sector in the

country; education, economy, social, and politics. This happen due to the changes happened

in the surrounding include the technologies and knowledge. Therefore, Malaysia does not

want to be left out in increasingly changing world. To be equal with other developed country,

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changes must be done. The first sector to change in Malaysia to be able to in line with other

develop country is education.

3.0 EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

One of the most important aspects of a country is the educational aspect. Education is

capable of transforming the country to a higher level in terms of increased economic, cultural,

political, social, and so on, is thus able to improve the quality of life of the community. With

the education of human life can change in an instant. Education is also an important base for

each individual. Various efforts have been and will be implemented by the government of a

country to ensure that all citizens receive an education. Various changes and transformation

in the Malaysian education also have been done to find the best way to improve the

education.

Changes happened in the surrounding is under control. Therefore, to adapt the

changes, one must manage the changes rather than complained on the changes.

4.0 MANAGING THE CHANGES IN EDUCATION

In higher education, changes happened because of pressure. According to Scott

(2003), changes in the education happened as a result of a rapid increase in competition. The

competition doesnt only involve within local universities, but also involve universities from

other country which is much more developed. Apart from that, a significant decreasing in

funding from government sources also becomes the cause for changes to happen. Every

organization tries to improve their achievement and prove that they are worth being funded

than the other organization.

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In the globalization era, technology is a must for every country to become developed.

The technologies always change and improve from time to time. Therefore, it is not

surprising that rapid speed communication and information technology influence every aspect

in individual live, including education and training. Consequently, this also pressure to make

changes. The changes in education also happened due to greater government scrutiny and

growing consumer rights movement.

Therefore, managing changes in education is very important. One way to manage the

changes is by learning organization.

5.0 LEARNING ORGANIZATION LEADING TO CHANGE

In order to remain viable in an uncertain and changing environment, organizations and

individuals alike rely on an ability to learn (Edmondson and Moingeon, 1998; Senge, 1990).

Thus, a learning organization (LO) must constantly strive to develop and implement policies

and strategies, which encourage and make use of learning at all levels within the organization

(following Church, 2002; Hitt, 1995; Hodgkinson, 2000; Rowley, 1998; Sackmann et al.,

2009). In so doing, they are likely to create and deliver innovative products and services

(Church, 2002; Corbett, 2005). LOs align peoples learn-ing and development continuously

to corporate vision, mission and strategy (Harrison, 1993). Learning organization works to

create values, practices and procedures, in which learning and working are synonymous

throughout the organization (Rowley, 1998). Learning is a core part of all operations. The LO

process challenges employees and communities to use their collective intelligence, ability to

learn, and creativity to transform the existing system (Bierema, 1999). It helps people to

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connect with each other, their work, and their community. It is not a programme, but rather a

new process for understanding and learning together.

Organizational learning is defined by various individuals to various purposes. Before

researchers describe what is meant by organizational learning, this research reveals to the

reader what is meant by self-organization and learning itself. The word organization has two

general sense, that is according to James AF Stoner (1985), meaning that the first describes

the organization as an institution or functional groups. In contrast to the first meaning, the

meaning of both the organization refers to the way work is organized and allocated among

the members of the organization so that organizational goals are met efficiently. For the

definition of learning, based on the statement Peter M Senge (1990), learning in this context

does not mean acquiring more information, but to develop the ability to produce a cool

achievement.

In ensuring that this requirement is reached, there are eight dimensions of

organizational learning should be implemented by each organization according to Bruce

Britton March (1998). These dimensions include creating a culture of support, collect internal

experience, reaching beyond learning systems, communication, decision-making process,

developing a memory organization, the integration of learning into strategy and policy, and

apply the learning. The eight dimensions of the relationship depicted in Figure 4.1 below.

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Figure 4.1 Dimension of Learning Organization (Britton; 1998 in Learning for

Change; 2002)

One of the dimensions of a learning organization is based on the sharing and

exchange. Organization that practices the management through learning organization allow

the members to voiceout any input or useful information. Gather experience from time to

time and share it among organizations may lead to changes.

Learning organization promotes finding and learning from outside the organization.

Organizations that deal with the outside world are expected to acquire and gather more useful

information to enhance the ability of the organization itself. Making changes based on the

information obtained, the organization is able to achieve the desired improvement and it is

not impossible for the organization to record new achievement.

Therefore, it clearly prove that the basis for the implementation of a learning

organization capable to bring a change. Hence, any changes made able to improve and

enhance the organizations performance.

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6.0 CONCLUSION

Living in the same place and situation certainly does not bring any improvement.

Thus, the change is very important to be done to ensure that improvement is always happen

especiallt in an advanced era.

Education must be dynamic and change according to the proceedings of

modernization in order to born individual with high skills and knowledge in line with the

current progress. Therefore, schools and other educational institutions should play a role in

implementing the learning organization to face current changes which always occur.

The intention of learning organization emphasized on improving performance and

build capacity to deal with change. Thus, it will be able to lead an organization to manage the

information, experience, and communication within the community. Most importantly,

learning organization encourage learning within the organizations community whereby

learning and change are two subject which always act and move hand in hand.

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REFERENCES

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Organizational Learning Research. Sage Publications London, Thousand Oaks, CA

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Halia Silins, Silja Zarins, and Bill Mulford. (2002). What Characteristics And Processes

Define A School As A Learning Organisation? Is This A Useful Concept To Apply To

Schools?. International Education Journal Vol 3, No 1, 2002.

Hong T.M. Bui and Yehuda Baruch. (2012). Learning Organization in Higher Education: An

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http://www.sagepublications.com.

Judith White dan Rita Weathersby. (2005). Can Universities Become True Learning

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Khosrow Nazari dan Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie. (2012). Assessing Learning

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Lorraine S. Nemeth. (1997). Measuring Organizational Learning. Faculty of Graduate

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http://www.spencer.org/content.cfm/organizational-learning. (Achieved on 5/04/2013).

Prof. Eve Mitleton-Kelly. What are the Characteristics of a Learning Organization?. London

School of Economics.

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Raymond B. Williams, Ken Brien, and Janelle LeBlanc. (2012). Transforming Schools Into

Learning Organizations: Supports And Barriers To Educational Reform. Canadian

Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, Issue #134, July 13, 2012

Rebecca Cors. (2003). What is a Learning Organization. University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Shoaib Akhtar, Ahmed Arif, Erum Rubi, and Shaheryar Naveed. (2011). Impact Of

Organizational Learning On Organizational Performance: Study Of Higher Education

Institutes. International Journal of Academic Research Vol. 3. No.5. Part II.

Change Definition.

www.thefreedictionary.com/definition of change

www.answer.ask.com/change