Many experts claim that learning is the best predictor of successful organizational change. Organizations which can learn quickly will be able to adapt to change more rapidly. Organizational learning has a significant effect on organizational readiness to change. Organizations need to survive in an uncertain environment and maintain their existence in the face of competitors. Organizational learning is a vital resource for competitiveness in strategic management and It also has an influence on organizational performance.
Research on organizational learning in libraries started from 1996 to 2020 consisted of 20 studies, with most of the research domains being in university libraries (75%) and located in Asia (45%). The most common method used was quantitative (35%), with cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. This study used 20 articles that fit the predetermined criteria and produced a framework for the antecedents and consequences of organizational learning in libraries. The antecedents of organizational learning in libraries are leadership, organizational culture, individual learning, team learning, intrinsic motivation, communication, institutional evaluation and knowledge management. The consequences of organizational learning in libraries are innovation in the library, library enhancement, knowledge performance, knowledge creation, learning method and organizational change.
The results of this study confirm that organizational learning in libraries has two roles: as an antecedent and consequence from each librarian or the library institution itself. The leadership aspect in most of the research articles serves as the antecedent of organizational learning in the library. Meanwhile, innovation is the consequence of organizational learning in libraries. ‘Intrinsic motivation’ as a factor that comes from within the individual, in which it also as the antecedent of organizational learning in the library. The more positive the intrinsic motivation, the more influential it will be on the success of organizational learning in the library.
The availability of information and knowledge within an organization is a factor that supports the implementation of organizational learning in libraries. However, from the research results obtained, there is little research that discusses the influence of knowledge management on organizational learning in libraries, even though it has become a concern outside the field of library studies. Moreover, there are still some antecedents of organizational learning in libraries – such as individual learning, team learning, communication and institutional evaluation – that are rarely researched. Likewise, the consequences of organizational learning in libraries are not a common research topic. The results of this study reveal that there are only seven consequences of organizational learning in libraries.
Libraries can gain comprehensive knowledge about the antecedents and consequences of organizational learning so that success can be achieved. The practical implications of the results of this study are that it can be used as material in making decisions to develop a better library – for example, in creating new policies to increase the intrinsic motivation of librarians so that they are enthusiastic about working and learning new things. Libraries are dynamic organizations that must keep abreast of the times and changes in the characteristics of librarians so that they can provide the best service.
From the results of this study, libraries can identify not only the factors that can affect organizational learning but also the consequences or impact of its implementation. Organizational learning also affects other aspects in the library – for example, innovation. Libraries are required to provide the latest innovations, tailored to the needs of users, so that they will remain loyal to the library.
Author: Dyah Puspitasari Srirahayu
The full article:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03400352211066939
