Discussion Responses Chapter 6,7 & 8

Use text book as a reference to respond to each classmate. Textbook: Swanson, R. A., Holton, E., & Holton, E. F. (2001). Foundations of human resource development. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Do performance models enhance or diminish the value of learning in organizations? Respond to Fagen

Applying a performance model will enhance or diminish the value of learning in Organizational Development (OD). Performance models act as evidence that proves organizational development or training are producing the desired outcomes. The diversity of organizational systems permits experiential learning through the efforts of Human Resources Development (HRD) models to produce positive results (Holton et al., 2001, p.179). The application applied to educating adults connects performance outcomes to transformational learning (p.170). Changes at the organizational level will less likely make a difference if individual worldviews are not enhanced (p.171).
A performance model and learning within the organization are interconnected to achieve organizational growth. For instance, investing in Human Capital heightens performance goals that produce corporate equity. The value of learning in the organization empowers people to learn internally and externally (p.171). The outcome of implementing a performance model is seen through the lens of the organization (p.171). The organization determines the model’s effectiveness, good or bad, according to their desired result. The chosen performance model will determine if learning diminishes or enhances the organization according to the model performance outcome (p.200).
Therefore, there is no single view of OD performance success due to its systematic differences (p.188). Instead, organizations are tasked with developing models that meet the organization’s performance level. OD Practitioners determine how to reach the organization’s performance metrics by formulating models. Learning has become instrumental in designing training programs or contributing to the success of the organization. A productive model’s development starts at the individual, the organization, and their process (p.192). Enhancing these performance levels contribute to the efficiency of the organization’s system at the desired level. (p.192).

Do you believe that organizations can learn? Or, are organizations merely the sum of individual learning? (P 177) Responding to Julie

While the ability of an organization to learn absolutely depends on the learning of its individuals, the organization itself is also learning when that learning benefits the organization’s mission. I say this because the only way that the organization benefits from its individuals’ learning is when they learn productively toward the organization’s goals. You could have 100 individuals learning and produce no result if they are not all learning purposefully toward the mission of the company. High school is an example. There are many individuals learning a variety of things that benefit each one of them individually (we hope), but there is no collective benefit for the organization, per se. That high school is not necessarily made better because of those individuals’ learning efforts no matter how much you sum the learning of each student.

However, when you look at a given high school as an organization with a mission—to produce the most National Merit Scholars in its State, for example—then you have pieces of each individual’s learning efforts that collect together to achieve that goal. Now maybe students aren’t learning just to get their diploma and bolt, but to actually learn to do well on tests that will garner their school that title. There will be teacher learning in the course of supporting that objective as well, perhaps even administration involvement.

An organization does learn, and it is more than just summing up the learning of individuals within it. It is intentional learning organized under the organization’s mission and goals that denotes organizational learning as opposed to just a bunch of individuals learning whatever they want to learn. So, you can’t just sum individual learning and get an organization that learns. While organizational learning involves a bunch of individuals who are learning, it is more than the sum of those parts. There has to be a reason, goal, desired outcome for the benefit of the collective.