Deck 2: Organizational Learning

Question 1

Organizational learning refers to the process of creating,sharing,storing,and applying knowledge in organizations.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Communities of practice are typically formed in an informal manner.For that reason,management plays no role in supporting and nourishing such communities of practice.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Human capital includes elements of cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence linked to enhanced organizational performance.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In general terms,organizations with strong learning cultures tend to view training and development as a "business investment" and not simply a "cost of doing business."

Question 5

According to the Conference Board of Canada,approximately 61 percent of Canadian companies have in place procedures ensuring that knowledge is codified,stored,and freely shared amongst employees.

Question 6

In order to survive and develop,organizations must learn how to manage their capacity to learn and change.

Question 7

Strong research exists establishing a positive relationship between learning organizations and customer-centric performance metrics (satisfaction,engagement etc.); however,there is no evidence that organizations that apply Peter Senge's "disciplines" actually have better financial performance.

Question 8

An example of tacit knowledge in a particular organization could be described as a set of documents capturing its operational procedures often referred to as "codified knowledge."

Question 9

Relationship capital may be viewed as a source of competitive advantage if it is based on an environment of trust and integrity.

Question 10

A learning culture is best described as the norms and values an organization has toward its shareholders.

Question 11

Fundamentally,learning organizations are able to enhance their capacity to learn,adapt,and change their culture so as to take advantage of market opportunities.

Question 12

If the end goal is "organizational learning," then ensuring individuals in an organization learn guarantees the organization will learn.

Question 13

Intellectual capital is an organization's knowledge,experience,relationships,process discoveries,innovations,market presence,and community influence.

Question 14

An example of structural capital would be a company's policy manual.

Question 15

A company decides to implement an in-house training program.To save on training costs,it decides to implement a systematic cross-training program whereby a senior employee systematically coaches a junior employee over a set period of time using a standardized process.This company is engaged in a so-called "informal learning" approach to training.

Question 16

In his groundbreaking book,Peter Senge identified five "disciplines" to becoming a learning organization.These five disciplines are anchored on "discipline number one-core competencies."

Question 17

According to the opening vignette,Vancity uses a combination of in-house and external courses to support employee growth and development.

Question 18

Intellectual capital is knowledge that may or may not have value to a company.

Question 19

Organizational learning can be represented with a multilevel systems model that has four levels of learning including societal,organizational,group,and individual.

Question 20

Technology has made the process of converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge very easy for most companies to do with very little effort.

Question 21

The textbook identifies four types or categories of intellectual capital.Which of the following categories of intellectual capital would include employees' knowledge,skills,and abilities

A)human capital
B)renewal capital
C)structural capital
D)relationship capital

Question 22

The textbook identifies several reasons why informal learning is becoming more prevalent in organizations when compared to formal learning.Which of the following is NOT a reason supported by the material in the textbook

A)organizations are finding time constraints impact their ability to deliver formal learning
B)what is learned tends to be used on the job immediately when informal learning methods are used
C)informal learning has been found to deliver consistent learning outcomes
D)informal learning has a significant effect on performance

Question 23

Peter Senge introduced the notion of learning organizations being anchored on five "disciplines." Which "discipline" is viewed as integrating the other four "disciplines"

A)personal mastery
B)systems thinking
C)mental models
D)building a shared vision

Question 24

Which of the following is characterized as human capital

A)a company's patent on a new manufacturing process
B)an employee's ability to create products with a zero error rate
C)a company's strong working relationship with a key supplier of inputs
D)a company's consistently high engagement score

Question 25

The Conference Board of Canada has identified four dimensions or "pillars" as critical in creating and sustaining a learning organization.Which of the following would you consider to be an example of one of those "pillars"

A)having access to capital to fuel growth
B)having systems and processes in place to acquire, store, codify and share knowledge
C)having expectations that senior management should carefully manage employees' learning
D)having a learning culture that is risk-averse

Question 26

According to the textbook,what are the two most-used methods for informal learning

A)face-to-face interactions and email communication
B)social networking and Internet searches
C)structured mentoring and coaching sessions
D)email communications and intranet sites

Question 27

Based on theChapter-opening vignette,which statement best embodies the philosophy Vancity takes to training and development

A)maximizing profits for its current shareholders while decreasing expenditures associated with training and development
B)the foci of training initiatives are informal and tend to be provided as part of its recruitment strategy
C)tend to be focused on technical areas of the credit union
D)strengthening its workforce's capacity to enable the credit union to meet its strategic objectives

Question 28

Which of the following is a potential indicator that knowledge is being shared in an organization

A)problem solving becomes more complex, yet less effective
B)expertise is not captured and stored as explicit knowledge
C)unnecessary and needless staffing changes continue to take place
D)employees attract and obtain increased opportunities

Question 29

An important method used by organizations to acquire information and knowledge is by "scanning" the external environment.Which of the following would NOT be considered an external source of such information or knowledge

A)customers
B)competitors
C)employees
D)industry experts

Question 30

Which of the following is a factor that differentiates formal and informal learning

A)culture
B)climate
C)management style
D)process driven

Question 31

According to Etienne Wenger,who along with Jean Lave coined the term "communities of practice," three characteristics define a community of practice.Which of the following is NOT one of those characteristics

A)knowledge sharing is limited to explicit knowledge
B)a domain of interest shared by members
C)a sense of community
D)members are practitioners

Question 32

According to the Conference Board of Canada,what percentage of Canadian organizations do NOT consider themselves to be learning organizations,even to a moderate extent

A)29 percent
B)45 percent
C)34 percent
D)67 percent

Question 33

A senior manager in an organization asks you to explain why technology is playing such an important role in facilitating knowledge management.Which of the following is likely to be central to your response

A)technology use is becoming fashionable with senior management and popular with employees
B)technology has significantly lowered the cost of managing knowledge
C)technology is an important employee retention tool
D)technology is a key discipline of learning organizations

Question 34

Which of the following statements is congruent with the notion of intellectual capital

A)it is viewed by organizations as a liability
B)it has three categories: human, renewal, and relationship capital
C)as you use it, it has less value
D)unlike other assets, it tends to grow with usage

Question 35

Which of the following characteristics are congruent with the notion of informal learning

A)spontaneous, immediate, and task-specific
B)strategic, goal-oriented, and long-term focused
C)structured, group-focused, and unplanned
D)defined, organization-wide, and explicit

Question 36

To which author would you attribute the quote "Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning.But without it,no organizational learning occurs"

A)Alan Saks
B)Judy Shuttleworth
C)Robert Haccoun
D)Peter Senge

Question 37

Which of the following are the typical internal sources of information used in environmental scanning

A)employees
B)customers
C)suppliers
D)creditors

Question 38

Which of the following best captures the role management can play in supporting communities of practice

A)provide the necessary funding
B)provide the infrastructure and evaluate relevance to the company
C)control topics, timing, and participation
D)ensure all communication between group members is codified

Question 39

Carlos,a manager at a local manufacturing firm,often changes his approach to annual performance conversations based on his understanding of what factors motivate each employee.What is Carlos demonstrating

A)explicit or structural knowledge
B)human capital or structural capital
C)tacit or implicit knowledge
D)intellectual or human capital

Question 40

What must an organization do to become truly competitive and effective with its organizational learning initiatives

A)It must make a strategic shift in orientation in order to transform itself into a learning organization.
B)It must secure the support and commitment of all organizational stakeholders, past and present.
C)It must link its initiatives to the relevant sources of information and knowledge available.
D)It must be willing to adapt to the external environment and change its values in order to achieve its objectives.

Question 41

Which concept is defined as deeply ingrained assumptions,generalizations,or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action

A)mental models
B)organizational culture
C)implicit knowledge
D)informal learning

Question 42

a)In his groundbreaking book,Peter Senge identified five "disciplines" to becoming a learning organization.Identify and briefly describe those five "disciplines."
b)How would you shape an argument for why today,more than ever,the notion of learning organizations is so critical for sustainable organizational performance

Question 43

a)Briefly define "explicit knowledge" and "tacit knowledge," and provide an example for each.
b)Why is tacit knowledge so hard to codify or transfer from employee to employee

Question 44

Differentiate between the terms "information" and "knowledge" from the perspective of a learning organization.Provide an example for each.

Question 45

Identify and describe barriers that may exist in an organization that impede knowledge sharing between employees.How would a manager begin to remove some of the barriers you have identified

Question 46

Identify and briefly describe the four dimensions the Conference Board of Canada has identified as critical in creating and sustaining a learning organization.

Question 47

a)Define "communities of practice," provide an example of a community of practice,and explain their importance to organizational learning.
b)Notwithstanding the fact communities of practice tend to be informal systems often formed on their own,what specific actions should management undertake to foster and nurture the creation of communities of practice in their organizations

Question 48

A multilevel systems model of organizational learning assumes learning occurs at three distinct yet interconnected levels.Which of the following is NOT one of those levels

A)human capital level
B)organizational level
C)group level
D)individual level

Question 49

Describe four ways in which organizations can encourage informal learning.Briefly discuss the role that informal learning plays in organizational learning.

Question 50

The textbook identifies several important factors that influence learning at the group level.What would you consider to be the most important of these factors influencing group level learning

A)simplicity of tasks
B)organizational culture and values
C)individual reward practices
D)levels of informal and formal learning

Question 51

You are a senior human resource manager with a Canadian organization.On your way back home from a business trip,you stumble across an article praising the effectiveness of informal learning.You decide your organization should facilitate a work environment that promotes informal learning.Which of the following is NOT likely to be an action you will take

A)create work processes that require team involvement by members from different parts of the organization
B)remove physical barriers so as to facilitate regular contact between management and employees
C)provide work teams with less autonomy so as to ensure quality control over outcomes
D)condense office spaces and make room for an open gathering area for coffee breaks and socializing

Question 52

Which of the following factors are important at the group level

A)vision and leadership
B)group structure and reporting relationships
C)level of complexity and task interdependence
D)a system in place to reward individuals for learning and applying newly found skills/knowledge

Question 53

Which statement best describes the insights offered by a multilevel systems model of organizational learning

A)group learning is the most critical variable given its central role
B)group learning is a necessary and sufficient condition for the organization to learn
C)if individuals learn, then the organization must also learn
D)organizational learning can take place only if the group and individuals learn

Question 54

Why is the concept of informal learning receiving so much attention from managers

A)because of the need to reduce expenditure in training and development
B)because of the speed of change and demographic realities
C)because of the level of attention the topic of informal learning has received from academics and management gurus
D)because it requires fewer resources and management attention

Question 55

Which of the following conclusions about a multilevel systems model of organization learning is supported by the content in the textbook

A)learning is a dynamic process that involves three levels that are interconnected
B)values and norms play no role in this process
C)learning and sharing processes in organization are not material to creating organizational learning
D)levels of learning are influenced by financial resources in organizations

Question 56

You have been asked to do a short presentation to your class describing the differences between formal and informal learning.Which of the following points is NOT likely to be included in your presentation

A)unlike formal learning, informal learning tends to be highly unstructured
B)control over learning outcomes rests with the organization under formal learning processes
C)formal learning tends to be tailored to individuals' learning needs much more so than informal learning
D)formal learning processes often create time gaps between learning and application on the job

Question 57

Which learning level is considered a starting point for organizational learning

A)group learning
B)formal learning
C)divisional learning
D)individual learning