Learning organizations without borders? A cross-cultural study of university HR practitioners’ perceptions of the salience of Senge’s five disciplines in effective work outcomes

Abstract

The learning organization has been put forward as an effective way of conflict management through the adoption of the disciplines of personal mastery, mental models, team learning, systems thinking and shared vision (O’Keefe and Stewart, 2004; Fisher-Yoshida, 2005), but this depends to a large extent on the transferability of the concept cross-culturally (Fisher-Yoshida, 2005). This paper investigates the transferability of the learning organization concept in British, German and South African contexts with a sample of university-based human resource (HR) management employees. Specifically, the paper investigates the comparative importance of Senge’s (1990) learning organization disciplines in generating effective work outcomes among HR employees in three different national cultural contexts. It is suggested that the importance of the learning disciplines in different countries may be influenced by prevailing cultural differences. The study interrogates the notion that the model provides a globally relevant tool for general applications in effective work outcomes. A survey was conducted utilizing HR practitioners employed by three separate universities in three countries (the United Kingdom, South Africa and Germany). Specific measuring instruments were constructed to operationalize Senge’s (1990) model. Results suggest influences of national culture on emphases put on specific aspects of the five disciplines in effective work outcomes.