Group Discussion

1. Give an example of an actual company that is a 'learning organization'. How does the company fit the definition of a learning organization, and what are its main activities that constitute a learning organization?

Learning organization is one skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. Based on the definition, I think Google is a good example.

First, Google is really good at creating knowledge. Innovation is the most important element for its success. Starting from how Google hire employees, Google claims only smart and determined people would be the options. The company cares more about the ability rather than experience, indicating that Google doesn't care what you have done but what you can do in the future. Google provides a huge platform for its employees to play with their own "cool things". It reflects that Google's willingness to experiment with new technology. Creative staffs are encouraged to spend one day a week, the so-called 20% rule, working on personal projects. Any engineer after working one year can bid to work on anything they want to. The freedom of imagination given to Googlers is the soil-bed of innovation and more engineers express they would like to spend their free time to work on new projects. Google believes there's room to explore and power to be generated from those intrinsically interested and free-thinking can build a "change engine" into the culture.

Second, Google can transfer knowledge and information efficiently. Open culture is one specialty of Google, striving for make everyone feel comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. There are weekly all-hands meetings when Googlers can ask questions directly to CEO and other executives about any number of company issues and make suggestions to the on-going projects. The offices and cafes are designed to encourage interactions between Googlers within and across teams, and to spark conversation about work as well as play. Another powerful tool to share information is the Google Intranet named "Moma" with the mission of organizing Google's information and making it accessible and useful to Googlers. Googlers can find all kinds of timely updated information they want.

Last, Google is a company that would like to advance performance through continuously improvement of its products. Google would like to learn from their customers and their existing product feedbacks by emphasizing on "what the users want" and make adjustments timely to meet those requirements. That's the reason why "dog food teams" exist. Google is constantly building these teams to make all existing products better. The weekly all-hands up meetings do not only help communicate information but also give Google an advantage to get more employees involved in the decision making. The management will talk about the on-going business and the employees will give suggestions and ask "wouldn't it be cool if". Keeping everybody in the same page and sharing the same goal can help Google avoid stagnation and conflicts among departments.

In addition, through the flattered organization structure, Google can solve problem fast and systematically. All the abilities of learning, transferring information fast, experimenting new things, and solving problem