Hewlett-Packard Company Becoming a Learning Organization

Introduction

A learning organization refers to an organization that embraces the culture of employee development through helping them understand the organization more. This is aimed at equipping the employees with the requisite skills and capabilities thus helping the organization increase its competitive edge (Pedler, Burgogyne & Boydell 1997). Desire by organizations to increase their market share and sales volume has led to numerous organizational transformations. For employees to effectively adjust to the implemented changes, they deserve to be trained or gradually developed so as to be in conversant with the novel organizational operations. The numerous benefits accrued from transforming into a learning organization calls for Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company to change into a learning organization. This essay will highlight some of the reasons why it is appropriate for the company to become a learning organization as well as some of the ways that the management and employees in the company regard learning.

Reasons for aspiring to be a learning organization

Unlike in the past when HP used to dominate in the manufacture and distribution of personal computers, today there are numerous companies dealing with the same industry. These include the Apple Computer Company, International Business Machine (IBM) Company and Dell. All these companies have qualified employees and manufacture quality computers. Consequently, there is a stiff competition in the market today. This calls for the companies to diversify their products as well as market. Product diversification can not be attained without the employees having the necessary skills. By becoming a learning organization, HP would be able to nurture creativity within its employees thus helping them come up with personal computers that stand out from those of the competitors (Wang & Ahmed 2003).

Transformation into a learning organization leads to development of team work. This eventually leads to the workforce becoming versatile hence being able to respond to different activities at workplaces. Generally, a learning organization encourages employees to take risk in strategies aimed at improving their skills. Free flow of information is also encouraged in a learning organization (Argyris 1999). As a result, by changing into a learning organization, HP would be able to come up with a strong workforce as its employees would develop a proactive thinking. Besides, employees within the company would be able to helping one another in developing their skills and competencies. Learning organization leads to employees being inquisitive of all their actions. This helps them learn and understand more the repercussions of their actions thus avoiding actions that may be detrimental to the organization (McHugh, Groves & Alker 1998). Through this, HP would come up with a workforce comprising of employees who understand well the organization thus helping the company cut down on cost associated with errors resulting from employees.

In addition to team work development, transformation into a learning organization leads to a company embracing a high degree of integrity in all its processes. This is because the management as well as employees carries out their responsibilities after thorough consultations with all the affected parties. In this respect, by becoming a learning organization, HP would reap from the development of a strong brand and customer loyalty. Working through consultations helps an organization improve the quality of its services or products thus enhancing customer satisfaction (Easterby-Smith, Crossan & Nicolini 2000). Eventually, customers become loyal to the organization. In addition, working environment becomes favorable to all employees thus helping the company attract and retain qualified employees. Transforming into a learning organization is one of the strategies that will help Hewlett-Packard reduce costs associated with employee turnover as well as attract and recruit qualified personnel.

How management and employees regards learning

HP Company as a corporate culture that helps it develops its employees through learning. The company advocates for employee contribution and high level of achievements. The company encourages its employees to take risk in matters that would help them build their careers and improve their competence. In the process, employees become innovative as they try to come up with novel techniques to help them improve their efficiency as well as making their working environment favorable. By the management advocating for openness and communication within the company, it is possible for employees to commit themselves to the organizational activities as well as be honest to their seniors (Malone 2007). This culture also helps employees work together towards realizing organizational goals.

The management in HP Company encourages their employees to be innovative and flexible when executing their duties. This is in bid to help them come up with new models of personal computers and other electronic gadgets thus helping the company effectively compete in the market. This idea is received well by employees as they also look for ways of helping them develop their career base. In the process, employees within the company have continuously developed self mastery of their varied areas of specialization (Easterby-Smith, Araujo & Burgoyne 2001). This has been achieved through the support of the organization’s management team. The company has a smooth flow of information and feedback. Hence, employees are regularly updated on their performance as well as adjustments made within the company thus helping them adjust to the changes.

Hewlett-Packard Company greatly encourage for trust and respect of all the stakeholders. This helps the management and employees share common visions and organizational objectives. All employees participates openly in all organizational activities thus making it possible for them to strike a common ground when it comes to making decisions on matters affecting the organization (Culatta 2010). All employees within the company have empathy towards others and are ever willing to disseminate their experience to new recruits as well as their colleagues working in different departments. Because of trust and respect in the company, it has been possible for the management to establish groups in the company and assign them to different activities. The different groups cooperate to ensure that they have achieved organizational goals on time (Slater & Narver 1995).

Conclusion

Learning organization is the term used to refer to organizations that employee novel techniques to help their employees get acquainted with processes within the organizations. There numerous benefits enjoyed from transforming into a learning organization. These include enhancing employee commitment and productivity by allowing them to learn from one another (Meen & Keough 1992). Organizations also cut down on employee turnover rate as the transformation leads to improvement of working conditions. Another benefit reaped from the transformation is increased profit due to improved quality of products and services. All the aforementioned benefits are clear evidence why Hewlett-Packard ought to become a learning organization. Currently, the company’s management as well as employees highly values organizational learning. The company has come up with a culture that allows for team work, flexibility and innovation. This culture helps employees interact freely with their colleagues and managers thus sharing ideas on how too improve the different processes in the company. This offers a favorable environment where employees learn from one another.

References

Argyris, C., 1999. On Organizational Learning, 2nd Ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Culatta, R., 2010. Learning organization. Web.

Easterby-Smith, M., Araujo, L. & Burgoyne, J. G., 2001. Organizational learning and learning organization: development in theory and practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Easterby-Smith, M., Crossan, M. & Nicolini, D., 2000. Organizational learning: debates past, present and future. Journal of Management Studies, 37(6), pp. 783-796.

Malone, M., 2007. Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World’s Greatest Company. New York: Routledge.

McHugh, D., Groves, D. & Alker, A., 1998. Managing learning: what do we learn from a learning organization? The Learning Organization, 5(5), pp. 209-220.

Meen, D. E. & Keough, M., 1992. Creating the learning organization. The Mckinsey Quarterly, 1(1), pp. 58-86.

Pedler, M., Burgogyne, J. & Boydell, T., 1997. The Learning Company: A strategy for sustainable development, 2nd Ed. London: McGraw-Hill.

Slater, S. F. & Narver, J. C., 1995. Market orientation and the learning organization. Journal of Marketing, 59(3), pp. 63-75.

Wang, C. L. & Ahmed, P. K., 2003. Organizational learning: a critical review. The learning organization, 10(1), pp. 8-17.