액션러닝 기반의 전략적 학습조직 구축에 관한 탐색적 연구 : 중소철강 제조업체를 중심으로

In many organizations, necessity of learning organization has been seamlessly emphasized to improve job skill and enhancement of enterprise core competence. Actually many firms, however, were not able to obtain expected value owing to lack of sustainability of learning activities. This research investigates how to establish strategic learning organization based on action learning. For a small steel company for six months, learning organization had been built and supported facilitating learning activities. In progress of meeting, researcher periodically investigated activities of each team and member's behaviors. A small steel manufacturing company with 48 employees was case field for this research. In order to promote learning capability with various methods such as action learning, fishbone analysis, creative thinking, brainstorming, and brainwriting had been applied. At the beginning of consulting, three learning teams with each subject that was difficult to solve were established. Under rapid change of business environment, enterprises need personnel who have positive attitude and high adaptive and sensitive nature. Actually lots of firms aggressively invest finance in education and training for employees. However they don't gain satisfactory effectiveness frequently. To improve job skill and upgrade the enterprise core competence, necessity of learning organization based on action learning approaches has been emphasized (Moriarty, 2006; Murray, 2006). But actually it is difficult for many firms to experience expected value because there are no continuous and vigorous activities since established the learning teams. Additionally, although information technologies (IT) can be utilized for effective tools in learning, firms usually didn't apply IT systems to learning. Recently many firms try to establish KMS (knowledge management system) to gain and share internal and external business knowledge (Poston and Speier, 2005). Nowadays, companies have recognized knowledge as high value intangible assets and those can be key competence for gaining competitive advantage. Hence, enterprises have positively invested their efforts to transform implicit knowledge into explicit one (최동수 외, 2006). By development of e-learning system and service based on the web, firms can rapidly provide the digitized learning contents to employees just in time. Consequently, that promotes individual and organizational competence. Moreover, by IT, firms are able to accumulate knowledge such as business, technical, sales, or R&D, etc. in the web on intranet and share those in enterprise. By keeping pace with external rapid change around them, mutual exchange of knowledge has been possible (Murray, 2006). Through the continuous learning process, it is possible to develop individual capability (Lizzio and Wilson, 2004) and be able to expect to decrease a separation rate in organization (김영환, 2002). Under analysis of simple questionnaires and interviews with boards, researcher proposed five propositions. First, sponsorship and active participation of the management can affect boom-up and upgrade learning activities. Hence, Proposition-I is that the higher durability and active attention of managers of strategic learning organization is, the more affirmative performance of learning activities will be. Second, strong leadership may affect performance of learning. Hence, Proposition-II is that the higher property of leadership in organization is, the more affirmative performance of learning activities will be. Third, the systematic support such as incentive system, vacation for learning, and promotion criteria will be crucial factors to promote the performance of learning. Therefore, Proposition-III is that the more positive systematic supports provide, the higher learning performance will be. Fourth, construction of the proper environment for learning activities may affect positive benefit of learning. Hence, Proposition-IV is that the higher proper environment constructs, the higher learning performance will be. Fifth, development of KMS (knowledge management system) and active use can influence to the performance of learning teams. Under this assumption, Proposition-V is that the bigger scale of investment in information technologies is, the higher learning performance will be. In S-steel as case field, at early stage of establishing learning teams some of employees have conflict mood. But they gradually change their own attitude and mind and showed positive behaviors. Also at the stage of orientation, almost members showed lack of positive attitude that propose their own opinion and solutions to solve issues. However, after making a consensus of organizational learning, members experienced the estimation stage that require explanation of essence of issues and share critics of alternatives. Almost members showed mind-open. At control stage as finalization, they showed constructive behaviors that try to suggest the modified and integrated solution idea. And they also share more constructive idea to sustain activities of learning teams in cooperation with each other. Additionally researcher can observe decreasing critical and negative opinion and increasing output-oriented attitude in learning team meetings. By exploratory study of case, above five propositions and directions of further research were suggested. This research results can give some implications to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to establish learning culture and positive activities in organization. The scope of research is that, in order to improve task skill, three learning team had been established and investigated progressive process of those teams through consulting support. In addition to these, this study is for suggest five propositions for further research. Based on five propositions, the next step of research will be empirical research, which verify and analyze the influential factors to affect performance of learning organization. Additionally, the SMEs including venture companies who want to promote skill of tasks and competence of enterprise can gain implications for successful implementation of learning organization. Moreover, actually digital technologies as tool for learning activities can be actively used and the causal relationship between the digital technologies and performance of learning organization should be tested and verified deeply. And several cases have to be provided and comparative research can also provide important implications to enterprises.