Human Learning From Learning Curves To Learning Organizations

Learning plays a fundamental role in the production planning and growth of all organizations. With the need for more rapid changes in the global economy, the management of organizational change is a key factor in sustaining competitiveness in today's economy. This book has been developed with these `learning needs' in mind. Human Learning:From Learning Curves to Learning Organizations covers a broad range of learning models and related topics beginning with learning curves to recent research on learning organizations. The book's focus is to enable researchers and practitioners to forecast any organization's `learning needs' using the prediction aspects of an array of learning models. The book includes research and application discussions on topics such as accounting for previous experience; the `learning-forgetting-relearning' phenomenon; parameter estimation with no previous experience; DeJong's incompressibility model; predictive learning models requiring only two learning parameters; long learning cycle times; the speed-error relationship; evaluating the cost of learning from the point of view of safety; and an examination of Learning Organizations. Each chapter is developed from published research and worked examples are used throughout.

Written by international contributors, Learning Curves: Theory, Models, and Applications first draws a learning map that shows where learning is involved within organizations, then examines how it can be sustained, perfected, and accelerated. The book reviews empirical findings in the literature in terms of different sources for learning and partia

The traditional learning curve asserts that organizational performance improves as a function of operating experience. The typical example is unit cost decreasing as a function of cumulative production volume. As an organization produces more it somehow “learns” to reduce unit cost. The disappointing managerial implication is that the only way to accelerate improvement in organizational performance is to produce more. This may not be feasible or desirable. I review the literature that extends the traditional learning curve in two ways. First, experience is not the only source for learning. Organizations can engage in deliberate learning activities such as quality improvement projects. Furthermore, not all experiences are equally effective at enhancing organizational performance. Second, the learning curve is not just some black box. There is a process inside the learning curve. Experience and deliberate activities can foster learning. Learning can yield better organizational knowledge. Better organizational knowledge can persuade organizational members to modify behavior. Changed behavior, in turn, can improve organizational performance. None of these steps are trivial. Scholars have merely scratched the surface in terms of studying these steps. No single study has incorporated all steps. I review the literature and identify opportunities for future research that should provide insights for organizations to better manage learning curves.

Learning in Organizations: An Evidence-Based Approach examines the variety of systematic approaches and strategies for learning and development used in the workplace through the implementation of formal training, guided instruction, developmental job experiences, and self-directed learning. The hallmark of Learning in Organizations is an emphasis on research evidence of what is and is not known about learning and learning strategies and the translation of that evidence to guide best practices in workplace learning and development. The book features evidence on learning principles, new learning technologies, and strategies for developing individual, team, and leadership capabilities. The content of the chapters is enhanced by the inclusion of key learning goals for each chapter, case studies, chapter summaries, best practice recommendations, and a hands-on project for use in the classroom. Learning in Organizations provides researchers with a detailed investigation of learning practices to help drive future research. For learning practitioners, research evidence is translated into best practices that can be applied to enhance workplace learning and development. For undergraduate and graduate students, the book provides an up-to-date review of the key concepts and ways of thinking about and studying learning in the workplace.

In this fresh and innovative approach to the complexities and challenges of organizational learning diversities, the authors show that in learning there are no generic solutions, and instead propose several context-specific resolutions.

Most managers today understand the value of building a learning organization. Their goal is to leverage knowledge and make it a key corporate asset, yet they remain uncertain about how best to get started. What they lack are guidelines and tools that transform abstract theory—the learning organization as an ideal—into hands-on implementation. For the first time in Learning in Action, David Garvin helps managers make the leap from theory to proven practice. Garvin argues that at the heart of organizational learning lies a set of processes that can be designed, deployed, and led. He starts by describing the basic steps in every learning process—acquiring, interpreting, and applying knowledge—then examines the critical challenges facing managers at each of these stages and the various ways the challenges can be met. Drawing on decades of scholarship and a wealth of examples from a wide range of fields, Garvin next introduces three modes of learning—intelligence gathering, experience, and experimentation—and shows how each mode is most effectively deployed. These approaches are brought to life in complete, richly detailed case studies of learning in action at organizations such as Xerox, L. L. Bean, the U. S. Army, and GE. The book concludes with a discussion of the leadership role that senior executives must play to make learning a day-to-day reality in their organizations.

To compete with today's increasing globalization and rapidly evolving technologies, individuals and organizations must take their ability to learn--the foundation for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and innovation--to a much higher level. In Learn or Die, Edward D. Hess combines recent advances in neuroscience, psychology, behavioral economics, and education with key research on high-performance businesses to create an actionable blueprint for becoming a leading-edge learning organization.