Running Head: LEARNING CULTURE 1

“Learning Culture” in an Organisation

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Instructor

Institutional affiliation

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Recognise a “Learning Culture” in an organisation

1. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome How would you recognise a “learning

culture” in an organisation.

Undoubtedly, a learning culture is very imperative in any organisation. According to the

book on management theory and practice particularly in chapter 27, there are various ways to

identify a learning culture in an organisation. A learning culture is basically an environment

where organisations keep developing their capabilities while teams and individuals keep learning

and developing their skills. With such a definition, it is easy to identify the presence of a learning

culture within an organisation. For one, to identify a learning culture one might question whether

the organisation facilitates and promotes learning while creating learning opportunities. In

addition, there is a question of whether an organisation encourages communication amongst its

employees. Also, one can compare whether the company has formalized documentation where

employees are encouraged to develop new ideas and whether the organisation has an organized

reward system for employees who engage in learning. In addition, the state of employees in

regard to their empowerment, skills and participance in team exercise can all wholesomely help

to detect a learning culture in an organisation.

2. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Include the completed form: “Learning

Styles Questionnaire” with your written response to your preferred learning styles.

(With the Questionnaire My Results were I Am A Reflector – 14, Activist – 12, Pragmatist – 12,

Theorist – 8)

Based on the results obtained, my learning style is more reflective with strong activism and

pragmatism traits and minimal theoretic traits. This means that my learning style relies on
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standing back often and pondering from experiences while observing them from numerous

different perspectives and angles. I also believe that, in the instance that I do adapt to a certain

learning style I can adequately involve myself in the learning activity fully and without bias. In

addition, as an astute learner I am keen to try out new ideas, theories and techniques with the aim

of finding out if they work in practice. On the other hand, based on my evaluation I would state

that I am not in an ideal position to adapt and integrate observations of any learning style into a

sound theory.

3. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Include a completed “Learning Styles

Inventory – VAK”.

(I Got 10 Points Out of Total Of 30 For All Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic)

Based on the VAK learning style, its valid to assert that my learning style is more visual than

auditory or kinesthetic. As such, my learning style in an organisation can be best followed up by

seeing and observing things. This means that through observation which includes, diagrams,

pictures and demonstrations I can be able to learn new things. Also, this implies that I will use

the phrase ‘show me’ a lot in my learning phases. Certainly, this is grounded in the fact that, my

learning style is more visual than any other form. However, for anyone with a more visual

learning style than auditory or kinesthetic it also means that they might not learn very well

through listening or spoken word. More so, I believe that my visual need in learning also

translates into a practical need to engage in learning activities and be hands on.

4. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome What are the main differences between

leading and managing?

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A leader and manager are very different in terms of their actions and end goals. A leader for

example embodies vision and goals and thus encourages others to share and achieve them. On

the other hand, a manager controls the operations and processes associated with the act of

controlling people, therefore the emphasis in on the things and objects rather than the actual

people. In brief, when comparing leaders and manager we can see various distinctions.

Therefore, based on the definition alone we can tell that leaders align people towards a specific

vision while managers organize people to achieve the same vision. Alignment includes

inspiration while organizing means allocation and designations. Leaders participate, set

directions and support their followers using their interpersonal skills while also encouraging

involvement, participation, change and in the final analysis inspiration of their followers. On the

other hand, managers are problem solvers who focus on things more than people while adhering

to direction and the task at hand. Rather than inspiration, managers rely on formal control and

authority to be able to ensure that the people they manage focus on the short term task while

working within the boundaries.

5. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Compare and contrast Theory X leadership

with Theory Y leadership. Explain why you are either a Theory Y or X believer?

Based on McGregor’s theories, employees may not be motivated to work and chose to dislike

work and avoid it whenever possible (theory x). On the other hand, employees may be highly

motivated to take responsibility and work to fulfil the goals allocated to them (theory y).

Personally, I’m a theory y believer who trusts that given the rare chances at work employees are

highly motivated to work and attain results. Furthermore, employees are highly motivated to rise

political ladder and be the best they can be in their workplaces. As such, I believe that theory y is
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more practical in describing the work place environment and how employees relate to their work

goals and responsibilities.

6. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Are you a lifelong learner? List the

learning skills and attributes to help you participate in a learning culture at work.

Based on my characteristics in terms of being a visual practical learner with a greater interest

in learning and reflecting on what I have learnt rather than creating confounding theories, I can

confidently say that I’m a lifelong learner. More so, my learning is meant to instill knowledge

that can assist me in accomplishing tasks and obligations. Additionally, the skills that help me

participate in learning at my place of work include reflection on taught skills and objectives,

visual coherence, consistency in revision, practicality and being hands on in my work. These

skills and attributes help me adequately to participate in a learning culture at work.

7. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Using the principles of the Johari Window,

explain why you need a sound understanding of yourself before you can understand

others, and some of the ways you can understand yourself.

Based on the principles of the Johari window, as an individual I have two dimensions, one

side of my character and disposition known to myself and others and not known to myself and

others. However, there are four sub dimensions created. Some are known to me and others

(arena) and others are known to myself and not others (façade). Others are not yet known to

myself but known to others (blind spot) while yet others are not known by myself or others

(unknown). Based on this fact, I need to understand the blind spot areas of my personality which

may lead to issues when working as a team and also learning. I believe the best way of

understanding myself is by analyzing myself in terms of personality tests and more so seeking
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counsel about my behavior from close friends and relatives possibly who have known me a while

(Cole, 2015).

8. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome What are the four “Ds” to help managers

to make decisions?

The four Ds are namely Do it now, do it later, delegate it and Dump it. They are also

summarized as Do, Delay, Delegate and Drop. For manages to effectively manage time and

make decisions they need to learn how to drop things that are not important in the first place.

These are things whose effect is minimal in the course of things. Next, they are tasks that can be

delayed without causing any issue in general. Managers need to learn to delay some tasks.
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Managers need to delegate to be able to gain economic advantage and take on more serious

activities. Finally, managers need to prioritize tasks which require to be done immediately (Cole,

2015).

9. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome What is the hot-stove principle and how

can you apply it to ensure that people in your work team follow rules correctly and

consistently?

The Hot stove rule of Douglas McGregor illustrates how to implement disciplinary action

without fostering resentment. This follows that when one touches a hot stove the consequence is

immediate, with warning, consistent and also impersonal. As such, when applying discipline in

work mates following rules being broken, the discipline should be immediate so that an

individual may realize that it is directed against the act and not personal. It should be preceded

by warnings such like the prior knowledge that a stove is hot before touching it. Furthermore, it

should be consistent since every time one touches a hot stove the burn is still there. Finally, it

should be impersonal in such that anyone who breaks rules or touches the stove is burnt

regardless (Cole, 2015).

10. This criterion is linked to a learning outcome Use the five keys to identify current and

potential issues and problems that affect a team’s performance.

To ensure team performance one must identify five keys and work on them effectively to

ensure end goals are accomplished. One key is leader role modelling where the leader in a team

acts in a transparent way to ensure team learning. Second key is learning whose value is

reinforced through conversations on goals. Third is the building of sustainable processes to

ensure developmental support. Fourth is reinforcement of shared bales where employees link
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everyday tasks with the values of the organisation and finally the fifth key is leveraging

problems as opportunities for real world development and learning.

References

Cole, K. (2015). Cole, K 2015, Management Theory and Practice, 6th edn, Melbourne, VIC,

Cengage Australia. (6th ed., pp. Ch8 210-211:). Melbourne, VIC, Cengage Australia.

Cole, K. (2015). Management theory and practice (6th ed., pp. Ch5 116-117). Melbourne: VIC,

Cengage Australia.

Cole, K. (2015). Management theory and practice (6th ed., pp. 332-333). Melbourne: VIC,

Cengage Australia.

Hansen, D. (2011). 5 Keys for Developing Talent in Your Organisation. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/