Learning Organisations
In the future the following areas will become increasingly more important:
Investment in Learning
Technology
Information Highway
Knowlege is the Key
Unemployment
Learning Culture
Customer - Client Relationships
Conclusion
There will be more emphasis on learning and hence more investment in improving
individuals, teams and the organisation. There will be more emphasis on the
ability to learn and take on board new ideas and methods. Training will be
provided by people within the company who actually do the work. Training will
no longer be a separate activity but an integral part of the teams in the company.
The price per performance ratio of technology will increase greatly. The value
of technology compared to labour will improve by an even greater amount.
Technology will become more cross functional and transparent.
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The increased access to the information highway will make information more
available and to a wider audience. Barriers to learning, such as lack of
information and the availability of material will be reduced. Learning
Organisation will harness this form of information and use it to their
advantage. Employees regardless of their status will have access to information
that previously only their managers had.
In the future, organisation will be based on knowledge and not just physical
assets such as land or products. The most important employee will be a
`knowledge worker' and employees will be judged on their ability to
learn.
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The increased use of technology and the increased efficiency of individuals
will lead to some necessary redundancies; whether this leads to an overall
increase in unemployment is more debatable. The true `knowledge worker' will be
able to adapt his/her skills to re-employment.
Previous organisation cultures which are based on position or hierarchy will disappear.
The culture of an organisation will be based on learning and the skills of
individuals.
A learning culture will help customers and clients understand each other's needs
better. It will allow a greater degree of co-operation between customer and
clients.
`Like it or not, the years ahead will be an era of change and
competition'.
`The only thing one can predict about the future is change'.
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