Marketing Research On Improving Organizational Learning (Research Proposal Sample)

Improving Organizational Learning among KCA Deutag Managers in Azerbaijan
Tomislav Klenkar
Institutional Affiliation
Abstract
Organizational learning can be executed through various processes in any formal and running organization. This learning is often directed to the managers so that it becomes an important tool in their decision making in the firm. It can be carried out using various learning methods as covered in this research which includes using rich pictures, storytelling, and double looping learning processes. Briefly, the rich pictures are always visual (mostly hand-drawn) and detailed depiction of what are happening in a given organization which typically needs to be looked at by analysis. It is important in conceptualizing the scope of any given system that is under analysis in an incredibly easy way. These drawings are always important through providing the most concise synopsis of the particular complex system; gives an excellent illustration of communication within the different hierarchy as well as not restricting to only given information in that system. On the other hand, storytelling is used to collect all levels of personal thinking and knowledge (tactics in particular). Equally, double loop learning works in such a way only that it questions the already outlaid organization objectives and policies to help in effective decision making. Combining this two learning techniques will, therefore, help give acute and appropriate skills to managers which help in smooth running of organizations.
Improving Organizational Learning among KCA Deutag Managers in Azerbaijan
Introduction
KCA Deutag is a company that is offering drilling service to oil and gas companies around the world. This company is operating in 16 different countries worldwide and many of them as different business units, in which I fall under the business unit in Azerbaijan. Each business unit consists of the managerial teams which are assigned duties according to their different departments. The team always comprise of (General and Operational managers), eight Rig managers (RM), eight Maintenance Superintendents (MSD), eight Maintenance Supervisors (MSV) and eight Rig superintendents (RS). This team is always responsible in making of all operational decisions, and furthermore looking at lessons learned from past organisational running and actions made which are useful to developing organisational learning process. Recently, the KCA Deutag Company is preparing to enter the world stock market with Initial Public Offering (IPO). Before entering the world market, it is important to improve the sustainability of the reduction in oil production capacities since 2015. This improvement must, therefore, be reflected from developing of an additional action (improving organizational learning) in view of supporting the long-term organization's sustainability.
Improving this situation requires better organisational learning. My research, therefore, through utilisation of organizational learning tools such as rich picture and storytelling communication; aims to improve the single loop process already in use. This comes from the awareness that double loop learning has benefits if applied in the organizational learning which is still partially used by the managers. Basically, the KCAD Company is still struggling to improve the organizational learning despite the huge organisational experience of operating for more than 120 years. With this in mind, this research presents how these learning tools will be used to support further development process in the organizational learning among managers inside Azerbaijan business unit.
Keywords: organizational learning, double loop learning, rich picture and storytelling communication.
Literature Review
Annotated Bibliography of Improving Organizational Learning among Managers
Belling, R., James, K., & Ladkin, D. (2004). Back to the workplace: How organisations can improve their support for management learning and development. Journal of Management Development, 23(3), 234-255.
This article looks into how organizations have become reliable in the support to transfer organizational learning to their management (Belling, et al. 2004). This has been through the identification of barriers and examining of personal qualities in relation to improving organizational learning a manager undertakes. Through the use of storytelling, it provides the essential features for instance personal values and mentoring to help organizations develop better learning strategies. This article is significant to my research since it gives the appropriate policies for organizational learning which takes into account and considers that these programs should be executed at the workplace with the managers.
Hamstra C. Complexity storytelling (2017): The science of complexity within the art of communication. Emergence: Complexity and Organization. Edition 1.
This work suggests that science of complexity and the communication in captivating areas of ideas and practice of learning process of managers is examinable through storytelling. By sampling up many complex organizations with different learning, it gives a deeper perception of complexity communication in relation to storytelling environment as that which improves the learning process of managers. This work is important to the research since it explores all storytelling strategies and the elements in an organization's interaction with its independent managers. It concludes that complexity in communication differs from chaos but emerges due to the process of all worker interaction in an organization which is at best explainable by the elements of storytelling.
Bass, B. M., & Stogdill, R. M. (1990). Handbook of leadership (Vol. 11). New York: Free Press.
Bass, the author of this work, gives an important guide to leadership by managers through outlining the relevant organizational learning methods (Bass & Stogdill, 1990). For instance, the author incorporates newest findings through new theories in managerial learning processes which are seen to model a leader. This is achieved through displaying interpersonal and intellectual proficiency, command and appealing transformational leadership as learnt by the managers from their double-loop learning processes. The importance of the work to this research is that it gives the research a more clear picture of the guides to coming up with better-transformed managers after the learning processes. Also, it confirms that such leaders are able to succeed in all their roles in the organization and manage any cropping crisis.
Madlock, P. E. (2008). The link between leadership style, communicator competence, and employee satisfaction. Journal of Business Communication, 45(1), 61-78.
This article links three aspects which are leadership style, communicator competence, and employee satisfaction to as key elements to identify the starting point of organizational learning. It first proposes that the impacts of employee satisfaction are attributed mainly to their manager’s communication (Madlock, 2008). The competence entails efficient listening as well as interpersonal communication proficiency. As seen in this work, manager’s communication accounts for variation in employee job satisfaction and also communication satisfaction. This work’s significance to this research is evident from the measures outlined to improving the communication skills of managers through organizational learning. The improving of these skills is mainly to raise satisfaction starting from job to communication within the employees which will improve the situations in Azerbaijan business unit.
Gharibvand, S., Mazumder, M. N. H., Mohiuddin, M., & Su, Z. (2013). Leadership style and employee job satisfaction: Evidence from Malaysian semiconductor industry. Transnational Corporations Review, 5(2), 93-103.
This article bases its argument on the evidence of a study from Malaysian semiconductor industry which mainly consisted of setup process by a global corporation. The study had the main aim of determining the most reliable competent leadership style that solely increased worker job satisfaction as well offering proposals to improving the industry (Gharibvand, et al. 2013). The study through an objective to target the appropriate learning tools needed, examined the relationship between moderating factors, worker job satisfaction, and dependent and independent variables. In its final chapters, it indicates that through collaboration between the transnational corporation and the semiconductor industry, the firm succeeded in developing a workforce that was productive and enjoyed a higher intensity of job satisfaction. This was attributed to the fact that through the setup process of organizational learning which mainly involved the use of a rich picture to the managers, there was a success in achieving the eyed goal. This, therefore, makes this article significant to the research since it gives accounts of how these pictures can be used to improve organizational learning.
Zahari, I. B., & Shurbagi, A. M. A. (2012). The effect of organizational culture and the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction in petroleum sector of Libya. International Business Research, 5(9), 89.
This paper purposed to explore the effect of organizational learning and culture and its relation to job satisfaction and transformational leadership in a petroleum sector. Through the quantitative survey, the findings projected that managers of the oil corporation followed transformational leadership which created a positive and important relationship in the organizational culture (Zahari & Shurbagi, 2012). The leadership that was used in the corporation was found to have mainly originated from previous organizational learning which had been conducted. This was a process that while evalua...