Blue Thinking Discusses Organizational Learning: Is It Right for Your Business?

San Diego, CA, February 07, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Blue Thinking (www.thinkbluethinking.com), a leading business coaching firm, explains that not all learning requires a formal educational setting. Although the term “organizational learning” refers to education, it involves much more than participating in traditional learning environments such as classrooms. Organizational learning is complex and takes place within the workplace. It is a daily occurrence that allows employees within an organization to contemplate, interact, participate, and observe how to do their job more effectively. Simply put, organizational learning can be defined as acquiring and applying knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and attitudes that increase conservation, growth, and progress in an organization.

The Five Disciplines of Organizational Learning
Organizational learning stems from five unique disciplines:
1. Personal development: Helping individuals grow and expand their knowledge through a group environment.
2. Mental models: Encourages self-reflection, clarification, and improvement on how an individual sees and interacts in the world around him.
3. Shared visions: Individuals should work as a team and center their vision, goals, and development on that of the group—not a single person.
4. Team learning: Groups grow in intelligence together by using the individual talents of each member within the group.
5. Systematic thinking: A new approach to thinking that requires group members to shape their solutions around the behavior of the system. Groups can more effectively problem-solve by understanding how a system changes and operates.

The Five Levels of Organizational Learning
Organizational learning focuses on five levels of learning:
1. Acquisition: Acquiring the beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, craft, and information of those around you. This can play a role in hiring employees.
2. Utilization: More of an activity than a direct learning activity, utilization involves using items purchased for group learning exercises.
3. Reflection: Moving away from the process to reflect on what you have learned. It is imperative that you take into account “the bigger picture” by questioning and analyzing what you’ve learned.
4. Rating: A combination of action and thought that uses a group response by allocating resources on-hand and taking the necessary action.
5. Flow: Reinforcing the minimum level of learning without making a conscious effort, and allowing the process to essentially run its own course.

Is Organizational Learning Right for Your Business?
Organizational learning promotes a new culture to your workforce. You can face challenges as a whole and increase company-wide problem-solving capabilities. By employing organizational learning in your business, you can take advantage of benefits that include:
· Getting the most from your training budgets
· Evolving the roles of all management and supervisory staff
· Creating a knowledge base that sets the bar for improvement
· Shifting the focus to one of serving the company, rather than complying with it
· Promoting rapid change among employees

A learning organization benefits from the assistance of a professional business coach or strategist as well. Since organizational learning is something that feeds on the strengths of your employees, your business coach can assess your workforce and help devise a plan that builds on the core strengths that already exist. From there, your organization engages in self-development and managerial improvement that can benefit your company and employees for years to come.

Learn more about how you can transform your business with organizational learning by visiting the business coaching experts at www.ThinkBlueThinking.com or by calling 619.550.8052.

About:

Bruno Raynal is the president and CEO of Blue Thinking, a business consulting and coaching firm. Bruno specializing in working with senior management to enhance their awareness of modern business practices and patterns so they can make informed choices, take the right action, and achieve their vision and goals. He provides both one-on-one and group coaching to build better teams. Learn more about Blue Thinking by visiting www.ThinkBlueThinking.com or calling 619.550.8052.