Organizational learning of higher education institutions: the case of Estonia

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to measure the organizational learning in two of Estonia’s Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and identify connections between the organizational learning and various characteristics of HEI, such as ownership form and market participation rate. Design/methodology/approach Watkins and Marsick’s learning organization questionnaire, the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ), as one of the most popular organizational learning measurement instruments, was taken to measure the organizational learning of HEIs. Employees from a total of two Estonian HEIs, which differ in several characteristics, completed the Watkins and Marsick’s questionnaire. To identify the dependence of organizational learning on two observed HEIs’ characteristics, the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis method was used. The analysis was performed at the DLOQ dimensions level. Findings The average organizational learning rate of the two universities under study was over average (3.72 on six-point Likert scale) which allows arguing that both observed institutions are learning organizations. The organizational learning rate based on samples of employees from two HEI-s depends on the institution`s market participation on the 90 per cent level in the first dimension, 95 per cent in the second dimension and 90 per cent in the sixth dimension. Correlation between the HEI ownership form and any of the DLOQ dimensions is weak. Research limitations/implications The study is based on two universities. The sample size is insufficient; therefore, the results cannot be generalized to HEIs as a whole. Originality/value The relationship between higher education institutions’ organizational learning and higher education institutions’ characteristics has not been investigated before. The results of this paper allow a better focus on different aspects of organizational learning in HEIs’ development and relate to their specific development needs.

The Role of Leadership Competencies in Supporting the Al Nahda University for Becoming a Learning Organization: A New Qualitative Framework of the DLOQ

“…Achieving was also another leadership competency that enabled academics and researchers to use information to adjust their work practices and decide to embark on activities that link the NUB with its communities. This concurs with opinions of Baldridge (1983), Lorange (1997 and (Voolaid and Ehrlich, 2017) regarding the importance of a university to perceiving itself as part of the local community.…”

“…Influence was another critical leadership competency that emerged to enable academics and researchers of the NUB to support the process of learning by encouraging their colleagues, staff and students to scan the environment for knowledge acquisition, do extra research, attend workshops, and conferences for the and listening to them to provide them with guidance and tuition and also provide strategic leadership for learning. This confirms findings by other scholars (e.g., Senge, 1996;White and Weathersby, 2005;Voolaid and Ehrlich, 2017) Strategic leadership competency also emerged as a crucial aid to learning: interviewees foresaw future opportunities, planned strategically for learning and knowledge performance and dealing with conflicts and provide a rationale for change. Strategic leadership competency is well-covered in the current literature (Kim et al, 2017;Watkins and Kim, 2018), as it relates to positive knowledge performance that results in good financial performance.…”

“…Leadership competencies have been defined as "the combination of knowledge, skills, traits, and attributes that collectively enable someone to perform a given job" (Zenger and Folkman, 2002, p. 83). In addition, Voolaid and Ehrlich (2017) emphasise the importance of the role of leadership in the development of "the universities as learning organizations" (ibid. p.361).…”

“…The DLOQ was selected as a framework for this research as it has been internationally tested and utilised broadly in learning organizational studies (Kim, Egan and Tolson, 2015), including those by Watkins and Dirani (2013) and Kim, Watkins and Lu (2016) (as cited in Watkins and Kim, 2018, p.19). It provides a structured questionnaire that is in line with Senge"s theory of the learning organization (Voolaid and Ehrlich, 2017).…”

“…Managerial skills and becoming a learning organization are essential to contest such challenges. (Afshari et al, 2013) Over the years, the task of universities has transformed and academies throughout the world are progressively being pushed to change, for instance by decreased state funding, increased availability of online technology, shifting demographics, globalization, and the recruitment of students from different backgrounds and with different professional experience (Voolaid and Ehrlich, 2017). Thus capable leaders will be required with the skills needed to face these changes (Shafiei and Fard, 2015).…”