Is it possible to use the commitment and capacity of individuals to learn at all levels of an organisation? After reading an article in a British ELT management newsletter for IATEFL, written by George Pickering, I am left wondering whether the idea of a learning organisation such as this could ever work in a country like Thailand.

I found this article particularly interesting as the author has quoted many gurus on the subject as well as supplying a comprehensive list of references. There are many different definitions of what a learning organisation consists of. Andy Hockley has, for me, one of the best ways of explaining the benefits it might bring.

It needs to provide professional development for its entire staff and engage in team driven work such as projects. Time and space is required for reflection on practice and to encourage people to engage in systems thinking; to challenge the way things are done. Finally, they must be open to change.

I would suggest that the majority of us are working in organisations that have the opposite characteristics. How many of our schools and universities have a true commitment to staff development? I don’t mean the need to have a quota of PhDs on the faculty; I am referring to a real strategy to develop the people in their organisation.

Of course, not all teachers and administrators want to continuously develop themselves. I would like to suggest that those that do for the good and benefit of their educational institution and their students be rewarded in some way. I appreciate that it is difficult to do this where power is centralised and parochialism is the order of the day.

Pickering explains very simply in four stages how to develop a learning organisation. First, you have to identify where you want to get to. Then, you need to know where you are now. Next, you have to decide how you are going to get there and finally, you need to confirm that you are moving in the right direction.

We are told that what is needed is a sustained effort of a committed group of individuals with a shared vision and purpose. There is also a warning that it is easier to write about something like this (like me) than to actually do it, so we must be careful not to just make an industry out of it.

In Thailand, I do not believe that we have a shared vision and purpose of what a learning organisation should be. Once again, it is going to be small groups of individuals working from the bottom up that will be able to experiment by developing organisations with democratic management styles committed to a learning culture with a policy of learning for all.

Resources and training development needs to be made available allowing for comprehensive inductions and staff development for all for the appropriately selected staff of an organisation. There needs to be focus on coaching and mentoring, the development of personal learning plans and the use of individual and team reviews.

Courses need to be reviewed with staff and stakeholder mechanisms allowing for cross functional team-working, developmental observations and peer observations. Action research is to be encouraged and the use of best practice benchmarking will set the standards required.

Mr Sa-neh Boonsaeng, the Director of Bantatprachanukoon School in Ban Phue district, Udon Thani prides himself in attempting to provide a learning organisation for his staff.
(Unedited article published in the Bangkok Post 9th February 2010)