Organizational Learning

Part A

Organisational learning is a continuous process that enhances its collective ability to accept, make sense of, and respond to internal and external change to the primary purpose of improving knowledge of all employees. At CIMB Group, this is pertinent within the organisation by the training provided with attention given to individuals to perform within a team.

EASTERBY-SMITH and ARAUJO, 1999; TSANG, 1997) is quoted by TSANG, C. (2010) “The literature on organizational learning has concentrated on the detached collection and analysis of the processes involved in individual and collective learning inside organizations; whereas the learning organization literature has an action orientation and is geared toward using specific diagnostic and evaluative methodological tools that can help to identify, promote, and evaluate the quality of learning processes inside organizations”. Organizational learning not only encompasses information held by individual employees but also requires systematic integration and collective interpretation of new knowledge that leads to collective action. Organisational learning is pertinent in organizations where there is flattening of its structure. Over the years, as part of adapting to changes within CIMB Group, the flattening of the organisation structure is obvious with many Vice President roles squashed and replaced with senior manager roles to display a much leaner organisation. So is the case in CIMB Learning and Capability Development (LCD) unit where I joined in 2010, there were about 4 Senior Vice President roles held by the trainers. By the end of 2011, as the employees started to leave for new opportunities elsewhere, the vacant roles were then filled with Managers and Senior Manager from various industries, ranging from hospitality to consultancy. This enabled the unit to share the knowledge from experience out of the banking environment and use industry best practices for team cohesiveness. In fact, I was recruited...