A learning organization seeks to consolidate information and to encourage innovation. There is no learning without innovation because the logical consequence of learning is the creation of insights that provides a better view of the world. If there is true learning, then policymakers and implementation agents are able to see the weakness of their former strategies and the inadequacies of the tools that they used to implement a particular program. A learning organization has the capacity to collect pertinent information and to analyze the said information to improve teamwork and the creation of more cost-efficient programs.
A learning organization has the capacity to adopt new strategies and to integrate new systems. For example, a learning organization is willing to invest inappropriate information and communication technologies. Knowledge management systems are also important because it enables the group to store information and access it when needed. More importantly, a learning organization provides clear guidelines on how to use information gleaned from past and present projects in order to develop more effective strategies and improve on present programs.
There is a good explanation of why it is difficult to create learning organizations. First, it requires a leader who values the importance of a learning organization. Secondly, there is a need to secure the necessary funds to support the creation of a learning organization. Finally, there is a need to create an environment wherein people are allowed to make mistakes.
A mindset geared towards innovation does not happen overnight. In most cases, a learning organization is a by-product of organizational culture. This particular culture stems from a belief or idea that is planted by the founder. Most of the time, the founder is a visionary like Henry Ford and Bill Gates. These men created a culture of innovation and learning in their respective organizations.
It is easy to see the difficulty of creating a learning culture within government agencies. Government agencies are not founded by visionary leaders. The nature of government agencies is different from that of a private company. Thus, it is difficult for the current leader to introduce new ideas that will revolutionize the organization from top to bottom. In addition, there is no freedom to change the status quo. The leader does not have the power to compel people to follow a particular path. For example, the leader in a government agency cannot purchase equipment without the consent of another government agency. There are so many barriers in place to transform a government agency into a learning organization.