Improving a Workplace as a Learning Environment - Literature review Example

Running Head: Improving a Workplace as a Learning Environment Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date Submitted: Improving a Workplace as a Learning Environment Introduction The place of work selected for this audit as an environment for learning is the operation department of a company employing at least a hundred people. The main operations of the company is food delivery and other supply for both passenger and cargo ships. The operation manager controls the daily activities of the supply department while his coordinators in the field manage transactions particularly between the shipping lines and the company. The office contains 10 people, 1 manager, 2 general coordinators, and 2 officers coordinating supply, four clerks and one accounting officer. The two coordinators working in the field have the responsibility of ensuring that the respective supplies required by the companies involved in shipping are, delivered and accounted for on time. The officers on the other would ideally take care of coordination and purchasing with several food companies. The four company clerks are doing works in the office such as processing documents, filing records, and others while the officer in the accounting department takes care of all financial matters. The purpose of the assignment is to deliberate on how the workplace can be made into a more effective environment to learn the skills and knowledge required for work. There is an urgent need at the work place for Skill Development in all sectors of the organization. The workers are having a hard time in coping with the many changes in the work environment therefore, requiring greater skill to work efficiently and handle the new development including new machines (technological developments), new payment methods, and a huge number of customers; increased workload, increased responsibilities and culture diversity. There is also an urgent need to facilitate the spirit of teamwork, as it is important to create a harmonious environment at the work place therefore increasing productivity. Identification of goals perpetual for enhancing support for learning One weakness perceptible of learning support for the company is that it had particularly never involved all the company operations departments in a fastidious training. For instance, each level of workers working in the department involved in operations attend their own short courses and training occasionally but on no account did they underwent the respective training as a team or department working hand in hand in real operation. As per the works of Ashton & Sung (2002), the purposes of organization, learning is enabling the group or team is genuinely and effectively organizes their processes on their own in a way that sharing of skills and experience can occur. Although as pertinent parties, employees in the operations department precisely are well informed, learning supported and well trained, throughout their working in the company, the reality that their coordination internally and working relationship as a group or team is weak could end up to departmental performance concerns in the future. For instance, the supply officer may misinterpret how his clerks are working, as he is not particularly aware of any new technique or process they learned for seminar or training. Similarly, the company clerks may not follow the new instructions accurately being given to them by the senior officers because they do not know how well to deal with it. As a strategy in informal learning is not applicable to all company levels, decentralized learning is unfavorable as well since its introducing learning away from company’s actual production. “Educating must be integrated into the production process directly” (Ashton & Sung, 2002). Thus, deficiency of such support to organizational learning in the workplace environment may result to redundant consequences. There is also a need to enhance a noteworthy strength relevant in keeping the company running. The company’ workplace strength support for learning predominantly with the department of operations of this organization lies ideally within the mounting proficiencies of each person working in the respective departments. With this idea in mind, the company will be safeguarding the future prospects of the company by maintaining the knowledge and adding more skills to individuals working in the same environment. The goal is developing smart employees to make them well informed in decision-making. Additionally, it is increasing their eloquent working performance therefore adding up to enhancement of the reputation of the company as well as noteworthy financial gain for the ideal organization. For instance, the company clerks will be more precise and with newly techniques, they can give and deliver faster processing resulting in enhancing services as well as fewer problems for the respective department. On the other hand, the company’s manager will benefit from his respective employees learning as it would be utterly easier in managing a more proficient workforce. Additionally, his own learning would pertinently help him in developing a more delightful working environment for his respective department while maintaining customers’ pleasure with services rendered. To improve workplace learning, it is important to promote the concept of teamwork. It is important to decipher to employees on the need to build teams as an effective tool of working and increasing productivity. Ashton & Sung (2002) argue that, teams are the corner stone of any successful organization basing on the concept that, they increase productivity and provide a harmonious working environment within the organization. The main goal is to engage employees in teams, which they will be working and consulting in the process of the company’s activities. Additionally, it is means enabling the company’s team organize their respective processes on their ideally own so that experience sharing and skills sharing can occur within groups or teams for the organization’s benefit. Ashton & Sung (2002) makes a case that the learning intention in an organization is enabling the group or team as a whole put in order their processes so that experience sharing and skills can eventually occur. Justification of goal oriented strategies To enhance the workplace and develop it into a more effective environment to learn the skills and knowledge required for work, there are many strategies applicable however, only a few will apply in this situation. In increasing proficiencies otherwise known as skills development, the most effective way or approach is using Company-to-company learning. This company-learning characteristic is evident in many companies. Smith & Densch (2009) makes a case that; the respective approach has been participating and coordinating in communal learning companies with the company clients as well as giving support to companies. Employees are encouraged to attend training programmes provided by external stakeholders. For this approach, there is evidence that employees learn adequately, and increase proficiencies because they share other experiences from the other companies though their operations might not be the same. Improving the Learning Climate is also an excellent way of increasing individual proficiency among the group member of the company. Silber & Foshay (2009) espouse that, many companies operate smoothly and are very successful because they shape their learning climate adequately. This shaping is what remains of essence in developing the best approaches to handle any challenges and facilitate effective learning. Although it generally appears that the organization is put more in focusing in learning using technical approaches, the climate for learning appears to be an object to therefore require improvement continuously. Without strategies, creative enough in improving the learning climate, any given company cannot prosper (Wang, 2009). Additionally, there is the need to enhance and support Self-Development opportunities for all within the work place. Smith & Densch (2009) support the idea that, no matter the type of organization, self-development is one of the best strategies of improving self-efficiency. Silber & Foshay (2009) add that, the approach is great because it generate a spirit of conquering in an individual and gives motivation in his or her pursuit for excellence. When individuals are given an opportunity, they do their best to prove to everyone that they can make it; therefore, enhancing Self-Development opportunities in this organization will attribute great excellence in skills developments for the respective individuals. Like most company learning characteristics, this individual characteristic is evident enough in this company, as it seems to be providing learning opportunities for all in spite of levels. However, it requires a stronger approach to make sure that, the goals are sought in the long term. Wang (2009) argues that to enhance more self-development, it is important for companies to value and provide facilities in supporting self-development and growth. Some of the amenities include mentoring, short courses, coaching and seminars, time given for self-learning materials and personal study. These are just a few examples of the continuing learning processes in the company that should be supported by the company at all levels to enhance smooth learning. The organization should continue offering a mentoring system for fresh hired employees in the event of their first few months as well as those in the department involved in operations and had undergone the respective training (Allen & Judd, 2007). For instance, the operation department’s company clerks should continue being mentored by clerks in the senior positions assigned in the accounting department of the company. Mentoring is the ideal strategy of providing and delivering guidance to a new and ideally novice employee (Clifford & Thorpe, 2007) and the organization believes that the prominently appropriate person of giving this advice are the individual with similar position but prominently with greater experience. This is apparent; it should operate in any given work setting in provoking the beginners to learn effectively and improve on their proficiency in the job and tasks related to the same. Similarly, the organization should continue to deliver coaching, which is for improving workplace performance (Sager & Gastil, 1999). As earlier mentioned, the organization requires almost all employees and staff to attend some training or even some short courses manufacturers and suppliers’ sponsored. According to Biech (2008), training in for of coaching progressively is becoming a relevant strategy for performance improvement of employees, as it is motivational as well as oriented towards a goal. The concept is having all employees improve and develop efficiency to their proficiency. How to implement teamwork strategies In enhancing teamwork to increase productivity within the organization, participative policymaking is very relevant for the organization (Papa & Daniels, 2008). As earlier discussed, the organization made it a point of involving employees at a higher level in meetings. In addition, providing an opportunity to strategies learning and participates in several performance-enhancing routines. However, it is vividly unclear if the participations genuinely include policy formulation sharing. In analyzing the company’s approach, there may be employee participations where these policy-forming routines are included predominantly at the level of management (Hall, Murphy & Soler, 2008). Therefore, it should be the duty of the organization to facilitate the participative policy making process because it is ideal in developing and enhancing teamwork in any given working environment. Rainbird, Fuller & Munro (2004) argue that to be effective in the company participative democracy particularly requires the engagement of an important proportion of the organization members. Making of participative policy also referred to as participative Decision-Making is manifestly, the way a company ideally decides to make critical decisions. Smith & Densch (2009) makes a case that the manager or leader must first evaluate the best applicable and possible style allowing the company’s employees to come up practically with the results desired. Wang (2009) adds that when the leader involves employee participants in the decision making process this fosters a spirit of teamwork. The approach has shown great excellence in improving job satisfaction among the employees therefore fostering harmony and a good and conducive working environment. Marsick & Watkins (1990) assert that synergy is critical in decisions because it is the precise ability for people to work together as a team and produce results, which can exceed decision making even those made by individuals in the company operations. According to Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, workers need to at least, feel a sense of belongingness in any given organization if they have to work as a team (Gray, Cundell, Hay, & O’Neill, 2004). In his theory of Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow is quick to note that, at every point of work, in any environmental setting, the employees work best as a team when their needs are well cared for and given priority. Pedler (1991) notes in his works that when everyone in a given organization participates ideally in the decision-making process, the communication within the organization is much more effective helping everyone produce great and efficient results (Wang, 2009). In addition, the people are free and can learn easily fostering a great environment to establish learning processes. The use of internal Exchange commonly known as Client-Server Relationships is also a great and established way of fostering a learning climate in the organizational setting. Silber & Foshay (2009) make a case that an organizational learning based on this characteristic genuinely extends internal units acting in line with client-server association. The place of work in this research study as discussed in this works pleasures itself with this relationship type but it does not practically have long-term approaches for sustenance. For example, officers in the senior positions are coaching, mentoring the newly hired, novice people, and ready to guiding existing employees when newly introduced procedures are to be perpetually implemented but there are no great and sustained follow up on the new employees in establishing any hardships, which the might be facing. Wang (2009) reflects that having the internal Exchange within the organization, this encourages cooperation, information exchange and dialogue, all which are apparent and required in building strong teams necessary for making it easy in the learning processes. Jacobs (2003) adds that teamwork in any workplace is not desirable only but it is the sole survival for the organization. It leads to better establishment of the best environments for learning therefore acting to the advantage of the company (Connor & Becker, 2003). Companies recognize the ideal value of exchange of ideas especially from the lowest rank to the managers. This way, it facilitates a flow of ideas and learning becomes easy therefore increasing the skills necessary for productivity in the organization. Billet (2001) goes for brainstorming solutions particularly with the input of several or all the departments involved. He says that this allows everyone involved in the work setting to buy into the process therefore fosters teamwork. Zack (1999) asserts that building a team particularly requires the support as well as the backing of senior management. He says that if the top management is not part of the main process, it can ideally run amok. However, with the great support of the same, there is a possibility of success in the learning processes of that given organization. Strategies to evaluate the achievement of goals The set goals are long term in nature because they involve incorporation of many factors of consideration. They also involve many departments and could take a lot of time before they pass over and spread across departments showing some influences and changing the system to be conducive for supporting learning. To evaluate the strategies, using employee assessments will be of value in this case. This is through starting up an assessment process in which each employee will be evaluated individually to assess the level of improvement in carrying out his or her own tasks. The level of productivity will also be monitored closely to ascertain whether there is any difference in the productivity level before and after the implementation of the respective strategies. Performance appraisal tests will also be a great method in this situation to evaluate what the employees have learned and what they need to learn for a better carry out of given tasks. On matters of when it is the ideal time to evaluate the success of the strategies, it will be done in a three period assessment with an interval of three months each. This is the ideal plan to make a critical evaluation, which will be of value to give the progress of the strategy applications. Each stage will have its measures to ascertain what level of each given aspect including skill development and teamwork has changed over time and ascertain what is required to facilitate a full accomplishment of the same. Factors that might make it difficult to implement the strategies Improving learning is not an easy process and this applies to all work settings. There are major challenges, which meet the company’s efforts in facilitating a smooth learning environment. Some of the disputes affecting commitment, learning, and retention of employees are feedback and support and apparently, this is impossible in the place of work without great working relationship. Inadequate cooperation therefore is one of the greatest challenges facing the establishment of teamwork in that given work setting as well as enhancing skill development. Clearly, a worker from another level cannot deliver his feedback due to his unfamiliarity with the work of other group or team members. Correspondingly, he will not in any case get any opinion that would be of help from his colleagues for this same reason. There is also an element of inadequate support. A great learning environment is enhanced if every party supports their ideas and those of others. This is appropriate in a way that, they develop a harmonious working relationship. The employee together with the employer needs to be together and speak with one voice when it comes to matters relating to improving the learning processes. Among other major challenges, include individual bias, culture diversity and ethnicity, among many others, which act negatively to the spirit of supporting a learning environment. Conclusion How the workplace can be made into a more effective environment to learn the skills and knowledge required for work is one of the greatest challenges of many companies. However, this requires great interventions to support the concepts of teamwork and skills development, which are the roots of learning in a work setting. To support these learning processes some great strategies including participative policymaking, use of internal Exchange, increasing proficiencies, improving the Learning Climate, and supporting Self-Development opportunities are some of the best responses a company could have in development great learning within the work environment. With these strategies and with the support of all involved parties, it is definite that learning will improve. This is because the strategies will solve some of the loopholes challenging motivation of employees and poor teamwork, which are the essentials of effective learning. Out of the improved learning, there will be major benefits for work practices because there will be surmountable positive differences at the work place. There will be a harmonious work environment best for increasing productivity. The company will also enjoy indirect benefits from the same including retention of employees (reduced rates of turn over), increased innovativeness, and, overall maintenance of high production in the future. References Allen, J.F. & Judd, B.B. (2007). Participation in decision-making and job satisfaction: Ideal and reality for male and female university faculty in the United States. Human Communication, 10(3), 157-179. Ashton, D. & Sung, J. (2002). Supporting workplace learning for high performance working. UK: International Labor Organization. Biech, E. (2008). ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals. New York: American Society for Training and Development. Billet, S. (2001). Learning in the Workplace: Strategies for Effective Practice. 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