Abstract

The aim of the article is to define the role of organizational learning for development of knowledge management systems in modern organizations and conceptualize on this basis the relationship between organizational learning and knowledge management.    The results of the analysis. Organizational learning traditionally belongs to the priorities in management research domain. Organizational learning is referred to the process aimed at systematic and consistent enhancement of staff competencies in order to achieve organizational goals. The fast development of knowledge management as a separate well established discipline has become a powerful impetus for the revision of perceived views on the nature of organizational learning. Currently in the scientific literature there is no consensus on the conceptualization of the relationship between organizational learning and knowledge management. Further researches on the topic are needed. Applying the key characteristics of organizational learning the comparative analysis of the traditional learning, the concept of learning organization and knowledge management has been conducted.  It is shown that the differences between the analyzed approaches are concerned with the general vision on organizational learning objectives, level of learning formalization, the dominant type of communication and learning tools used. The relationship between organizational learning and knowledge management was analyzed further. According to author’s understanding the organizational learning should be considered in two planes. On the one hand, it is viewed as a part of the human resources strategic management. In this context vocational training covers organizational processes and procedures directed at the development of staff competencies needed to achieve organizational goals. On the other hand, organizational learning is to be treated as an important component of knowledge management system. In this context the meaning of organizational learning is best viewed as two-fold: 1) a set of learning procedures and processes belongs to knowledge management infrastructure and ensures all stages of knowledge movement cycle – its creation, sharing, storage, dissemination and utilization; 2) the staff competence is treated as a key outcome of the knowledge processes and valuable intellectual asset. Conclusions and directions for future research. From theoretical point of view knowledge management should be considered as a more general concept than organizational learning since it has wider objectives and apply a larger set of tools. As a discipline, knowledge management integrates management of organizational learning as well as management of knowledge and information flows. Being the components of knowledge management infrastructure, the procedures and programs of organizational learning support knowledge flows and therefore effective organizational learning is a prerequisite for effective knowledge management. At the same time, the growth of staff learning level (competence) by means of the acquisition of unique professional knowledge, skills, new experience, changing values, motivations, etc. is one of the most important outcomes of the knowledge movement processes – from knowledge creation to its utilization. Further researches in this area should be concerned with rethinking the role of organizational learning in the enhancement of organizational knowledge.  

Keywords: organizational learning, knowledge management, learning organization, tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge

JEL Classification: M12, M14, O15, 031.

Cite as: Sytnik, N. (2017). Organizational learning as a component of knowledge management. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 3, 346-354. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2017.3-32

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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