This presentation is an assemblage of content on the topic from the research works and publications I found relevant and useful. The main contents are extracted from the book of Kimiz Dalkir, "Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice "

1. Organizational
Learning and
Knowledge
Management
Compiled by:
Veena Venkitesh

2. Human Learning
• Human learning is a process of acquiring knowledge. Our behavior, skills, values and ethics are acquired when we process
information through our minds and learn.
• The individual learning cycle is the process through which those beliefs change and those changes are then codified in the
individual mental models. The cycles of individual learning affect learning at the organizational level through their influence on
the organization’s shared mental models.
• This may occur as part of education, personal development or any other informal/formal training.
• The best practices of Individual learning vary from one organization to another. These practices represent a long path of
continuous improvement that creates a clear understanding of individual and organizational learning requirements.
• Maximizing individual learning is critical to an organization's success since this learning includes acquisition of knowledge,
skills, behaviours, and competencies needed to perform the job. Knowledgeable and skilled Individuals are difficult to find and
difficult for competitors to imitate, giving their organisations a clear competitive edge.

3. Types of learning
• There are three types of learning:
• Single loop learning
• Double loop learning
• Deutero learning

4. • Single loop learning: Single-loop learning (illustrated in figure 1 below) is one kind of organizational learning process. In single-loop
learning, people, organizations or groups modify their actions according to the difference between expected and reached outcomes. Single-
loop learning can also be described like to be situation in which we observe our present situation and face problems, errors, inconsistencies
or impractical habits. After that we adapt our own behavior and actions to mitigate and improve the situation accordingly.
• When any problem occurs in an organization, learning which takes place is step-by-step and is called single loop. This leads to incremental
change in your learning.
• Argyris and Schon (1978) refer to the processes of single- and double-loop learning. Single-loop learning involves the refinement and
improvement of existing procedures and technologies as opposed to developing new ones.
• Individuals generally make decisions and solve problems that do not validate the correctness. They simply use them, without thinking, and
arrive at a decision or solution to their problem. If the solution does not work, they most likely question the inputs to their decision and
attempt to make a better decision next time.

5. • Double loop learning: Here, the employees are forced to think about our actions in the framework of our operating assumptions. That is an important
thing because we need to start thinking and analyzing our own processes. Double-loop learning will lead to deepen understanding of our assumptions
and better decision-making in our everyday operations. We also need to notice that double-loop learning leads to organizational learning.
• Double loop learning is very important because organizational learning is one of the most important factors nowadays. Without organizational learning
we have serious troubles. Basically, double-loop learning requires three skills:
• At first we need self-awareness to identify what is often unconscious or habitual. After that we need honesty or candor to recognize mistakes and
discuss with other people to find out and establish root-causes. Finally we need to take responsibility for how we need to change our action or methods
and how we can learn from the incident.
• In summary, by using double-loop learning we examine the underlying assumptions behind the actions and behavior and learn from those mistakes and
incorrect methods. By doing this we are able to remove the root causes that makes us to behave or action in a certain, poor or costly way. While single-
loop learning was more like an operative level, double-loop learning is rather a tactical level.
• When you question your beliefs and practices which employees were using earlier and adapt the new process by changing the whole purpose it is
called double loop learning.
Self- awareness Honesty Taking responsibility

6. • Deutero learning or Triple-loop learning: In triple-loop learning, we learn how to learn by reflecting how we learned in the first place. In this kind
of learning organizations, individuals or groups should reflect on how they think about rules and not only think that rules should be changed.
Triple-loop learning helps us to understand more about ourselves or our organization. One defining for triple-loop learning is “double-loop learning
about double-loop learning”.
• Triple –loop learning operate at higher level. It develops the organizational ability to learn about learning. Triple-loop learning encompasses both
single- and double-loop learning.
• Triple-loop learning focuses on the ability to utilize both single- and double-loop learning. It challenges existing learning framework as well as
models and assumptions. The learning goes be beyond insight and patterns to context. With triple-loop learning we get to known new ways of
learning and new commitments.
• Organizations can benefit from triple-loop learning in many ways:
• Organization learn new ways to comprehend and change its purpose
• Organization get a better view of understanding of how to respond to its environment
• Get a deeper comprehension of why our organizations chose to do things we do
• The relationship between organizational structure and behavior will change fundamentally because the organization learns how to learn

7. Organizational Learning
• Organizational learning (OL) is complementary to KM. An early view of OL was “…encoding inferences from history
into routines that guide behavior”. So, OL has to do with embedding what has been learned into the fabric of the
organization.
• By motivating the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge, KM initiatives pay off by helping the
organization embed knowledge into organizational processes so that it can continuously improve its practices and
behaviors and pursue the achievement of its goals. From this perspective, organizational learning is one of the
important ways in which the organization can sustainably improve its utilization of knowledge.
• Brown and Duguid (1991) describe organisational learning as "the bridge between working and innovating.”
• OL can be viewed as a goal of KM. The implications to knowledge management are three-fold:
• One must understand and know how to create the ideal organizational learning environment
• One must be aware of how and why something has been learned.
• One must try to ensure that the learning that takes place is useful to the organization

8. 4 I view of organizational learning framework or
Organizational learning model
According to Crossan’s 4I model, organizational learning involves a
tension between assimilating new learning (exploration) and using what
has been learned (exploitation).
Individual, group, and organizational levels of learning are linked by the
social and psychological processes of intuiting, interpreting, integrating,
and institutionalizing (the four I’s).
This framework illustrates the relationship between 6 learning processes
and 3 levels of learning through opposite dynamics of feedforward and
feedback loops i.e. exploration and exploitation based learning process.
Exploration involves the development and assimilation of new
knowledge. It starts with individual level learning by the methods of
intuiting and attending then builds into organizational learning through
interpreting, experimenting, integrating and institutionalizing.
The feedback loop or exploitation is a process involving utilization of
existing knowledge whereby the institutionalized learning guides how
groups and individuals act and think.

9. • The organizational learning process involves a tension between assimilating new learning, frequently called exploration,
and using what has been learned, this is exploitation.
• Tension that exists between exploration and exploitation:
• The tension exists because the process of exploration may question challenge, undermine and even replace the
institutionalized norms. When these norms become powerful & dominant by becoming successful they can turn into
“competency trap” where organization get locked in successful routines.
• The causes of competency traps can be best understood by considering the two opposing forces that drive a company
forward: the ‘exploitation’ of their existing products, and ‘exploration’ of future opportunities. Each will require its own
resources and investments, but if an organization can balance both, management scientists consider it to be ‘structurally
ambidextrous’.
• A competency trap occurs when the exploitation arm comes to dominate the company’s workings so that it is no longer
structurally ambidextrous. Organizations that despite the difficulty and tension have the ability to do both is referred to as
ambidextrous learning.
Exploitation: Utilization of
existing knowledge
Exploration: Development &
acquisition of new knowledge

10. • The 4I model conceptualizes organizational learning as a multi-level dynamic process, including both feed-forward and feedback
processes. This model identifies four processes of learning: intuiting, interpreting, integrating and institutionalizing.
1. Intuiting (Individual level): It is situated purely at individual level. Pattern recognition take place here. Along with intuiting,
attending is another process which takes place at individual level. Attending is an active process at the individual level of
seeking information from the environment.
2. Interpreting (Group level): The second process, interpreting, occurs at the individual and group levels. At this level,
individuals develop insights based on these experiments & translate them into next step of interpreting. This involves
communicating with others in order to explain novel insights towards creating a shared meaning within the group.
3. Integrating (Organizational level): The third concept of the model is integrating, defined as “the process of creating collective
actions in a group through adjustments & negotiations. Deeper understanding evolves through stories that are told and re-told by
the employees. The shared understanding within the group feeds into the final step called institutionalizing.
4. Institutionalizing: The fourth concept, institutionalizing is where learning gets embedded into organizational memory through
structure, process, procedures & routines. These institutionalized routines impact an individual’s intuiting process & hence, the
model is dynamic.

11. References:
• Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice - Kimiz Dalkir
• A model of organizational learning in practice - Sandra Patricia Duarte Apontea Delio Ignacio Castañeda Zapatab
• https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200608-what-is-the-competency-
trap#:~:text=Exploitation%20and%20exploration,'exploration'%20of%20future%20opportunities.
• Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning - William R. King
• https://organizationallearning9.wordpress.com/single-and-double-loop-learning/