In What Ways Does IBM Reflect a True Learning Organization, Research Paper Example

Learning is fundamental to IBM heritage and its future. IBM’s strategy to deliver value to its customers requires innovation and teamwork and rests on a customer-driven, high performance mindset. IBM executives have a high expectation for how learning should enable IBM to develop the people and organizational capabilities that produce innovative, integrated solutions for its customers. Learning at IBM is centred on positioning the organization and its employees at a level where it can serve its customers well.

IBM’s philosophy is that learning is essential to is success. Through this philosophy its executives are committed to learning for IBM staff that in return is able to offer quality value to its customers. Providing corporate education is part of its heritage. Through learning it is able to develop its employees and to develop new ideas and innovations that have enabled it to grow tremendously over the years.

Learning in IBM takes a business driven approach as well as a customer driven approach. Through learning it seeks to drive business priorities and success. It has prioritised the development of its associates all over the world. This learning is also geared towards providing quality value for the customers and enables it to succeed at the market place. Through this, IBM has seen it staff and business grow. Tedd Hoff (2003) states that: ‘IBM is pursuing an approach that not only geared towards developing its people and their capabilities but also to align its people around new ideas and new practices to enable IBM to succeed in the marketplace’.

Over the years IBM has expanded its existing learning programs and has introduced new ones. These learning programs are conducted through e-learning and through the traditional classroom learning methods. These learning programs have enabled it to build employees knowledge of specific customer industries and creating a workforce able to instantaneously connect with clients. This is an advantage to IBM as an organisation.

Education and learning at IBM takes place through a four tier approach. Firstly, education focuses on performance support, providing opportunities for conceptual awareness and understanding. The second tier involves more interactive, teaching procedural understanding and application. In the third tier, IBM associates learn collaboratively, working with peers on shared analysis and problem-solving in a networking environment. And finally, the fourth tier focuses on experience-based education and using tools like mentoring and coaching to impart higher-level alignment and decision-making skills. This learning approach is an application of the Kolb learning styles and experiential learning theory. This learning approach combines feeling, doing, thinking and watching.

Learning and education to staff has enabled IBM to enjoy various benefits. These benefits are directly attributed to the learning policies and approaches by IBM. It has enabled it to save on training and education cost. In 2002, IBM saved $24 million in deployment costs. This helps in the profitability and growth of the company. It also helps on saving resources that can be utilized in development other departments and activities within the organization.

Education has also enabled IBM to increase business returns. In 2002, after the introduction of the “Role of the Manager” learning program, the program helped to produce a net return of more than $20 million in just one of nine IBM business units in less than a year. This is quite a contribution for just one department. This helps the whole organization as to the amount of annual returns it gets.

It has also enabled IBM to attracting and retains its employees for long periods of time. Employees will be attracted to the organization because of the learning opportunities to develop themselves individually and are likely to remain in the organization for long periods of time because of they are help up in these training opportunities. In 2002, a survey carried out indicated that associate undergoing development opportunities are 79 percent less likely to leave IBM in their first three years (Hoff, 2003).

It has also availed more time for learning to the employees. Since 50 percent of the learning is online, then the employees can access learning materials at times of their own convenience and do not have to attend classes which are more rigid. This training method also does not require tutors since most of the on-line learning courses are interactive and the learner is able to interact with the system effectively.

The theory of B.F Skinner of Operant Conditioning that learning is a change in behavior. Behavior change is the outcome of an individual response to events that occur. When a stimulus-response pattern is reinforced or rewarded, the individual is bound to respond to that stimulus (Skinner, B.F, 1954). In the case of IBM, each associate is supposed to take part in some education program at least once annually. This is an enough stimuli that the associates have to respond to and also since it is a requirement from the employer, it comes with some reward since its non-compliance is bound to being punished. A rein forcer also could be by way of promotion, a good work rating or a feeling of satisfaction on the part of the associate.

On Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), learning involves a ‘direct encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter, or only considering the possibility of doing something about it’ (Brookfield, 1983). On the case of IBM training, the associates do an on the job training. This is a direct encounter with the work they are studying. It enhances the ability to understand on the part of the associate.

The other category of experiential learning involves ‘education that occurs as a direct participation in the events of life’ (Houle 1980). In IBM, the associates are actively involved with the other senior staff and at the same time undergoing training. This is direct participation in work at IBM. Much of experiential learning, ‘is actually about learning from primary experience, that is learning through sense experiences’ (Jarvis, 1995). When the IBM associates have to undergo training while they are working, they combine both learning from experience and formal learning. This is of high assistance to the individual development and to the organisations development since if the organisations staffs are highly developed and well qualified, then they will deliver quality to its customers hence leading to organisation’s growth.

Bandura’s social learning theory encompasses the importance of observing and modelling the behaviours, attitudes and emotion reactions of others. This theory exhibits human behaviour as a continued reciprocation of interaction between cognitive, behavioural, an environmental influences (Bandura, 1977). In the case of IBM, the employees could exhibit the behaviour of reciprocating the behaviour of their fellow employees especially those that are involved in learning since it is a requirement by IBM. Observatory learning is also applied by those IBM employees who learn to do new things by observing what the experienced employees are doing. This is an example of application of the social learning theory of Bandura.

References

Hoff, T. (2003). Leading IBM’s Education Solutions. Retrieved August 2009 from http://www.clomedia.com/departments/2003/January/96/index.php

Skinner, B.F. (1954). The science of learning and the art of teaching. Harvard Educational Review, 24(2), 86-97.

Brookfield, S. D. (1983) Adult Learning, Adult Education and the Community Milton Keynes Open University Press.

Houle, C. (1980) Continuing Learning in the Professions, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jarvis, P. (1995) Adult and Continuing Education. Theory and practice 2e, London: Routledge.

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press.

http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm