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

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE

PAGE

1.0

INTRODUCTION

2.0

DEFINITION OF CHANGE

3.0

EDUCATION

3.1 Managing the Changes in Education

4.0

LEARNING ORGANIZATION LEADING TO CHANGE

5.0

CONCLUSION

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6.0

REFERENCES

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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.

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

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,

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

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.

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.

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
Hari Bapuji and Mary Crossan. (2004). From Questions to Answers: Reviewing
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
Empirical

Evaluation

Within

An

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Context.

http://www.sagepublications.com.

Judith White dan Rita Weathersby. (2005). Can Universities Become True Learning
Organizations?. The Learning Organization Vol. 12, No. 3.

Khosrow Nazari dan Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie. (2012). Assessing Learning
Organization Dimensions and Demographic Factors in Technical and Vocational
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Lorraine S. Nemeth. (1997). Measuring Organizational Learning. Faculty of Graduate

Studies The University of Westem Ontario.

Organizational Learning in Schools, School Systems, and Higher Education Institutions.

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

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