MANAGEMENT

Learning Organisations



Learning Organisation

Introduction

Project Type

The chosen project is pertaining to engineering management. The organisation operates in the Middle East region. The project is about developing a building infrastructure, which is capable of accommodating the modern architectural needs. The project name is “Hold”, which demonstrates its capability to accommodate people as well as facilities. The project has extremely tight timeframes and budget. The project requires a number of teams to be integrated. Firstly, it is the R&D (Research & Development) team which has to outline the technological characteristics. They have to research about the material & associated specifications. Secondly, there is a design team, which has to develop the outlook of the drive & packaging etc. Thirdly, there is a manufacturing department, which would produce the desired elements. Also, the QA (Quality Assurance) team would have to test the quality of the material used & the BM facilities (Building Management Systems). The QA shall communicate the concerns & issues to the design team. Upon analysing the project type, one can comprehend that it involves a number of teams, working in collaboration.

Before describing the learning strategy, it is essential to analyse the team characteristics in terms of culture, behaviours, structures, and leadership style.

Organisational Characteristics

The organisation follows a centralised structure. In a centralised structure, the top management enjoys the most power. In other words, they are the most influential stakeholders in a company. On the other hand, de-centralised structure refers to an organisational structure, where significant control is exercised by the lower levels of the management. Besides, the organisation practices a power culture. Riley (2012) explained the characteristics of power culture in an organisation. Power culture refers to an organisational culture, which exudes control from the centre. In a power culture, significant authority lies in the hands of a few. Also, the power culture introduces few rules & protocols. One may find power culture in mostly small organisations, having limited number of employees.

Team Characteristics

It is apparent that different teams will contribute to the project “Hold”. Before outlining the learning strategy, it is essential to illustrate the team characteristics. Considering the identified organisational culture & structure, the leadership style is likely to be authoritative or administrative. Leadership styles have a significant influence on the team behaviours & performance. Different leadership styles contribute towards distinct organisation types. For instance, a bureaucratic leadership style works best in the food & nutrition companies. It is because they have to follow standard procedures for food, nutrition health, and safety guidelines. In such a case, bureaucratic leadership style facilitates the purpose of enforcing the standard working protocols. On the other hand, this may not work in an organisation, which desires innovation. One can find bureaucratic leadership in organisations where people work with large money sums, sophisticated machinery, or chemical substances.

The project “Hold” has a number of teams. The team practices a combination of role & power culture. The team leader serves as an administrative authority, who guides the team about the tasks & standard ...