Psychological learning theory also
known as organizational learning theory is one of the most known as well as
influential theories of learning and development in organizations or
companies. This learning theory incorporates
basic concepts from different learning theories with the belief that not all
learning is accounted for by direct reinforcement. This learning theory takes into account a
social element which argues that individuals learn new things through social
interactions by watching people and modeling in order to learn about new
behaviors and information. As a result of the incorporation of social elements
this theory of learning has broadened the understanding of how learning in
individuals works and has become an influential tool for psychologists to use
in different fields such as in government or corporations. This presentation will cover the social
learning theory as it applies to the Industrial/organizational field of
psychology covering how the basic tenants of the theory influence the study of
learning. The presentation will speak
about how the theory can be applied to the I/O psychology field and provide
examples of how research methods care used to study learning processes. Finally the presentation will cover the APA
ethical guidelines which would be relevant to the presentation being given.
In a good
learning theory the function of it is to provide a framework for understanding,
for studying, and for interpreting how individuals learn as well as the
processes associated with learning. The
organizational learning theory according to Schunk (2012), learning occurs when
an organization utilizes new information in such a way that it results in
observable changes to both individuals that make up the organization and the
organization itself. Learning in
individuals does not always produce a change in behavior but the goal of
learning in an organization is to make an impact and possibly alter the way
things work. According to Schunk (2012),
organizational learning studies theories and models about the way a company
learns as well as adapts. Organizations are social by nature requiring
interaction on some level in order for the organization to grow and be
successful, which requires an understanding on how the company as well as the
individuals work there learn.
Organizational learning allows a company to learn through context and
history how to improve services and training not only with the current members
working there but with future members. Through using organizational learning
theory a company can break down different aspects of learning such as
observation, experience, reflection and transference in order to find out how
the company and individual members learns and apply the information to programs
which assist in learning new information.
In
organizational development a company is able to sense changes or see that
things are moving in a certain direction and the organization adapts to the
changes in order to survive. In
organizational learning theory influences the study of learning by providing a
new aspect to how individuals learn. In
an organization learning is done in order to change behaviors to better a
company and the services that the company may provide. Learning theories seek
to understand and interpret how individuals learn. In organizational learning
it is the same with the exception that the organization itself is also
learning. In organizational learning theory it describes the processed an
organization and its members go through to acquire new information, process it,
and utilize it. The implications of this can be seen in the way individuals
learn and pass new information on, from trainer to trainee. According to Schnunk (2012), a transfer of
knowledge or skills like this in which a person applies to new content or in
new ways and situations benefits the organization in allowing it to adapt. The new skills or abilities translates to new
information or practices in the organization which results in observable
changes in both organization and members.
Organizational
learning theory allows for great promise in organizations as it provides a
means for studying the effectiveness of learning in the organization as well as
providing different ways in order to increase effective learning and
performance. If for instance, if the
company is looking to integrate a new computer system which is completely
different from the pen and paper method that they are used to using then there
are going to be factors that need to be looked at. An organization is going to
want to effectively train individuals on how to use the new system and provide
trainers who are proficient with the new system. Organizational learning theory
allows the company to look at aspects like providing information on how the
change is contributing to the larger good of everyone making the jobs easier so
that individuals are more invested and motivated to learn the information. Additionally, through use of the
organizational method researchers can find out information about how timeframes
may make learning new information and implementing it hard for the
company. If a company needs to have
everyone trained on the new computer system within a week because it is being
implemented the following week then the company needs to know how the short
timeframe is going to impact the employees and learning the new information.
As
researchers learn information like this they can devise a way to test theories
though projects such as how followers may be influenced by strong leader or how
individuals retain new information and learn to do new jobs effectively. The more the researchers are able to observe
and experiment the more information they are able to receive about how
individuals learn and work in organizations. Argote (1999), states that factors
such as learning how groups influence organizational learning provide insight
to how a group breaks down work on a project.
Through observing the project researchers are able to study how
individuals interact and communicate in the group, they can see strategies,
leaders and followers, brainstorming, and motivation as the group works to
complete the project. After completion
researchers can evaluate how effective the group was, the group’s performance,
the outcome, and the productivity (Argote, 1999). This allows researchers in organizational
psychology to study how the individuals work together and learn from one
another, motivating each other, and communicating in order to complete
tasks. In one study done by Bontis,
Crossan, and Hulland (2002), the researchers wanted to test empirically the
stocks and flows of organizational learning through knowledge being given
across an individual, a team, and the organization. Through this study the researchers were able
to show a negative relationship between organizational performance and a
misalignment of stocks and flows.
In the APA
ethical guidelines for the I/O psychology field there are 10 areas of standard
conduct (Knapp, 2003). The areas are
generally the same for most fields of psychology dealing with individuals in
the nature of learning, helping, or observing.
The first few areas include resolving ethical issues, competence, and
human relations which should be some of the fields making concerns because the
ease of violation in these areas is of concern for individuals that may not be
familiar with the code itself (Knapp, 2003). The rest of the areas including
privacy and confidentiality, advertising and other public statements, record
keeping, education and training, research and publication, assessment, and
therapy. In I/O psychology it is
important to maintain confidentiality with individuals especially when
presenting ideas to management of a company about how to better train
employees, motivate them, or go about adjusting behavioral issues.
Additionally, when psychologists are educating others or researching
information confidentiality should be kept which makes it so that one company
is not given up in research without its permission. Ethically if a psychologist wants to publish
results of research the company should agree to allow its name to be published
or the psychologist should only refer to the company in an anonymous way. There
are a few reasons a company may not want to be listed such as propriety
information. A researcher has to make sure to maintain confidentiality for both
organizations and individuals involved.
Argote, L. (1999). Organizational
learning: Creating, retaining and transferring knowledge. Norwell, MA,
Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Bontis, N., Crossan, M., Hulland,
J. (2002). Managing an organizational learning system by aligning stocks and
flows. Journal of Management Studies 39(4). 437-469.
Knapp, D., (2003). The ethical
practice of I-O psychology. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist. 40(4).
164-165.
Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning
theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson Education.
