Title: The learning entities in organisational learning – an empirical study

Authors: C. Jyothibabu; Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan; Ayesha Farooq

Addresses: NTPC Limited, Simhadri, D-44, Deepanjali Nagar (PO), Visakhapatnam (District), Andhra Pradesh – 531 020, India. ' Siksha O Anusandhan University, Registrar, Khandagiri Square, Bhubaneswar – 751003, India. ' Faculty of Management Studies and Research, Department of Business Administration, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh – 202002, India

Abstract: The idea that an organisation could learn in ways that were independent of the individuals was a key breakthrough. This paper explores the important question |how are the learning entities – individual, group or organisation – related|? The answer is important for promoting learning by an organisation. This empirical study found that there is a relation between all the levels of learning – individual, group and organisational – with each other. However, a direct relation between organisational level learning and individual level learning is not sufficiently strong. That means group level learning mediates between individual level learning and organisational level learning. Thus, groups are also important learning entities. But more importantly, there is a need for special emphasis by organisations on roles and rules, routines, practices and standing operating procedures, culture, information systems, the physical structure of the workplace and sources outside the organisation.

Keywords: organisational level learning; group level learning; individual level learning; learning entities; organisational roles; organisational rules; organisational routines; organisational practices; standing operating procedures; organisational cultures; information systems; physical structures; India; power plants; workplaces; external sources; intellectual capital; innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLIC.2012.043990

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2012 Vol.9 No.1/2, pp.211 - 225

Published online: 02 Sep 2014 *

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