From one to many : an exploration of the links between management development and organisational learning

Abstract

Since the 1990s, in a climate of rapid change, a steady increase in expenditure on management development programs has been attributed to its perceived potential to address organisational needs. A key premise is that management development programs add to organisational learning. However, there is a lack of evidence to support that management development and organisational learning are linked. This Master Honours research investigates a management development program, and contrasts the assumptions made by the designers of that program with those held in the organisational learning literature in order to establish if there are some links. The purpose is to establish the extent to which the management development design overlaps with organisational learning philosophy, in preparation for future PhD research. The research aims to identify whether the designers of a management development program hold implicit beliefs about knowledge and learning that impact on the program design and have implications for organisational learning. Three themes are identified through a review of the management development literature, encompassing both traditional and more recent approaches in the field. These three themes are termed 'functional/performance', 'context/contingent' and 'learning/process'. Each is based on distinguishable sets of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and learning processes. The major learning perspectives in the organisational learning literature are then mapped using existing meta-reviews, and are compared with each of the three themes derived from the management development literature. Some key incongruities between the two bodies of literature are identified. The proposition is that if any similar incongruence is identified in the design of an actual management development program, there would be implications for both the design of the learning activities and sequences, and the extent to which that program is linked to organisational learning. This qualitative research aims to develop a deep understanding of the assumptions about knowledge and learning held by the designers of a management development program. Such an understanding is pivotal to identifying the influence of these assumptions on the design of management development interventions. The program design and implementation is considered to have potential implications for organisational learning. Additional to a close examination of documentation, such as program manuals and trainee development plans, the research methods include semistructured interviews with 6 program designers and 5 trainees. Texts and transcripts are examined to allow matching of themes identified in the literature and the exploration of any other emergent themes. The methods selected enable the researcher to closely examine linkages between management development and organisational learning in the context of a management development program in health. Traditional management development literature predominantly privileges learning theories based on individual behavioural and individual cognitive development. This differs from the contemporary organisational learning literature which has a greater emphasis on constructivist and socio-cultural perspectives of learning. There are significant gaps between the two bodies of literature with regard to the treatment of individual and social learning perspectives. It is not clear if and how individual behavioural change translates into collective behavioural change. This gap is found to be mirrored in practice by the designers of the management training program within the Health Services context. From a theoretical and practical perspective, these differences have implications for program implementation and the program's links to organisational learning. The specific program studied is not optimally designed to link to organisational learning as defined in the organisational learning literature. Since the organisational learning literature has extensively researched actual learning processes within organisations this can be considered a deficiency. Potential opportunities for improved intervention design are identified. These include critical analysis of theory, reflecting on workplace project/action-learning experiences, applying ideas within a work context, supplemented with partnering or mentoring by experienced practitioners coupled with the use of reflective journals. These approaches use a combination of conceptual and practical pedagogical approaches drawing on both cognitive and constructivist learning theory. The research highlights the possibility that organisational learning outcomes may be enhanced with program interventions that include the use of learning practices embedded in work settings. Such program designs would focus on establishing conditions or activities that help individuals to continually learn within the context. The research study highlights a gap in the management literature at the moment. This is considered to be a potentially fruitful area of further inquiry in the field of management development and education.

Date of Award	2009
Original language	English