A study of the practice of the learning organisation and its relationship to performance among Kenyan Commercial Banks

Abstract

The great Chinese philosopher, Confucious(551-479 BC) made the following profound statements with regard to learning, “Without learning, the wise become foolish; by learning, the foolish become wise”. He also advised that individuals should “learn as if you could never have enough of learning, as if you might miss something”. The important thing to note from this, is that, even that long ago, the importance of learning had been identified as being crucial, for any improvement to take place in all aspects of societal life. To move forward society must appreciate the need to learn. The interest in the learning organisation has been stimulated by the need to attain sustainable competitive advantage in an ever increasingly changing global business environment. The changes within the global business environment which include great advancements in information technology, increased competition as the world becomes a global village, a more informed and demanding global population, an increasingly complex global financial system, the current global recession just to mention a few has meant that organisations must redefine the manner in which they conduct business to ensure that they survive. Currently learning is considered to be the only way of obtaining and keeping a competitive edge. Edmonson and Moingenon (1998) state that, “to remain viable in an environment characterised by uncertainty and change, organisations and individuals alike depend upon an ability to learn”.