Learning organization and organizational learning are terms that have continuously been confused to have the same meaning. This is however not the case and the two terms have very distinct meanings. Learning organization is a concept that was first developed by Peter Senge to explain an organization where people continually expand their capacity to create results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured and where a collective aspiration is set free and also a continuous learning process (Lussier & Achua, 2013).  In essence, learning organization is an organization with a learning environment that is in alignment with the organizational goals. It is however worth noting that leaders in any organization have a great role in cultivating a learning culture within their respective organizations.

As aforementioned, leadership has a significant role in creation of a learning organization. Leaders should not be the bosses in an organization hut rather should be there to offer guidance to the rest of the organization to get better results. This will be achieved through creating a common vision with shared values and purpose. On the same note, leaders should be involved in determining that policies, strategies, and structures that translates guiding ideas into business decisions (Lussier & Achua, 2013). This will only be achieved if the leaders are able to create an effective learning process which allow for continuous improvement of the policies, strategies and organizational structures. In fact, according to Senge, a leader is a designer of a ship rather than the captain. A leader is not expected to be a boss but is expected to interact with others in the organization to create a better working relationship.

A learning organization is the one that is able to deal with rapid changes that occurs in the course of doing business. For this goal to be realistic, it is expected that organizations need to discover how to tap people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels. Although people may have the capacity to learn, it is prudent that they are in the right environment that is conducive for learning (Lussier & Achua, 2013).  This is the role of the organizational leadership to ensure that the y create an environment for reflection and engagement. A leader must understand the concepts of reality and restructure these views that enable discover the underlying issues. An interactive session between the leaders and the subordinates will help in creating a learning organization.

The attitude of a leader in an organization is also instrumental in creating a learning organization.  Senge asserts that a leader should be a steward in an organization and should spearhead the learning process in an organization (Lussier & Achua, 2013).  . An effective learning organization will be realized where the leadership has great desire not to lead but rather to serve the greater purpose of building better organizations and reshaping the normal business operations. It is essential for the leaders to cultivate an adaptive learning environment where all the members in an organization feel embraced. In essence, leaders should have great virtues and knowledge management skills to ensure that they are able to create a learning organization.

References

Lussier, R. & Achua, C. (2013). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill DevelopmentMason, Ohio: Thomson/SouthWestern.

 
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