It has been said that, despite all the publicity given to “learning organisations”, most adults at work apparently prefer to depend on others for learning rather than to take responsibility for their own development. Why might this be the case and what ca
...ing as lack of qualifications, competence, knowledge or experience and this is very contradictory with the image of the expert. Additionally the view of a learner is: the person who has yet to acquire all of the requisite products or mental items for carrying out the work. Thus to be a learner in the workplace on this view is: to have a deficit (e.g. to be inexperienced or not yet competent), to therefore have less power, position, recognition or legitimation, and to need to leave behind the role of "learner" as quickly as possible (Hager, 2004). Such beliefs among employees are very harmful to the concept of learning organisation and cause some potential problems. Employees’ personal attitude is another factor affecting their willingness to progress. Many people joined the organisation after they accomplished their education. Some postgraduates enjoyed it and they have developed a very positive view of learning. They are eager to learn and see learning as fun, enjoyable and challenging. However for quite a few this was a hard time, a painful experience, and for them "professional" learning retains connotations of pain. Not surprisingly, they do not see learning as a creative enjoyable process (Hager, 2004). In this situation lack of motivation is noticeable. This barrier of learning is very difficult to overcome, because it is thought to be the key factor, which drives people to self-development. Next problem worth discussing is the employer’s attitude to learning. Often learning is seen as different and separate from work and also requires "extra" time and "extra" expenses from organisation. Therefore, it is perceived by entrepreneurs as a cost factor rather than an investment. Especially in smaller organisations due to the tighter constraints (e.g. financial, time limitations, lack of circulation of knowledge, limited access to IT) this may be a serious issue. However, costs of mistakes that happen due to lack of knowledge, time spent figuring out solutions to problems that could easily be solved or clients lost due to absence of skills required may be much higher than training expenses. Recent research into informal learning at work confirms that the cost of ongoing learning is low compared to the benefits businesses derive from it (Dale and Bell, 1999). The last but also most important barrier to learning is lack of employees’ motivation. Motivation is a central element when going through the process of human learning. If the organisation does not possess the ability to motivate its employees, the knowledge within the organisation is not practically used to a maximum. Therefore, it becomes the aim of every successful learning organisation to find the factors that enable it to motivate its employees to continuous learning and to take advantage of this knowledge to ensure its growth (Osteraker, 1999). Context of this barrier will be in more detail further on. These are, from employee’s point of view, some most frequently observed barriers in accepting learning organisation. Clear understanding of them is crucial for employers to be able to develop processes and approaches which help to promote the concept in their business environment and deepen employees’ commitment. Learning organisation affects all employees therefore it is essential that the process is global and involves all levels of organisational structure. At the same time it needs to be lead from the top with full commitment of senior management. In order to stimulate development towards a learning organisation, the organisations employ a rich variety of change strategies, which do not only focus on creating facilities for employees’ learning but also involve other aspects of business. Building a learning organisation is a critical challenge for managers since it depends on establishing an organisational climate that allows the human capacity for innovation and creativity to flourish (Porth et al., 1999). There is a number of initiatives and actions organisations can adopt in order to stimulate and promote learning organisation concept. Most of these approaches aim to increase motivation which is the core factor encouraging employees to organisational learning. A proper, secure and encouraging innovation environment must be created by the top managers in order to facilitate continuous self-improvement to their subordinates. In order to create such an atmosphere, employees’ basic needs must be satisfied. The most well known example which gives reader good understanding of different levels of human needs may be Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy (pyramid) of needs. Commencing from the bottom of the “pyramid”, the following needs are concerned: physiological needs (e.g. food), safety needs (e.g. freedom from threat), social needs (e.g. friendship), esteem needs (e.g. respect) and finally self-actualisation (e.g. self-fulfillment). In his theory Maslow emphasised that higher level needs can only be satisfied when all the needs on lower levels of the “pyramid” are satisfied. Hence, an employee will be only interested in the self-actualisation (self-development) when four other levels of needs are satisfied. The classification is useful as a guide to ensure that all possible types of needs are considered and allows employers to identify appropriate motivating techniques depending on the level of “pyramid” employee has achieved. One of the commonly used techniques, which proves very efficient, is facilitating individual learning in different kinds of learning environments. It can take form of short term placements in different departments, branches or working environments. This means a change from the development and execution of formal training to the support of learning on the job and learning outside of jobs and courses. This enables employees to observe alternative working practices, it inspires constructive criticism and stimulates problem-solving abilities. The process demands of employee increased self-control, which leads to improved self-esteem and consequently increased motivation. Coaching and mentoring can also be used as a management tool to encourage organisational learning. Both training techniques are frequently used to direct employees in their learning and development within the organisation. Coaching is an open-ended process that analyses the present situation, defines the performance goal, combines personal, organisational and external resources and then implements a plan for achieving that goal (King, 1999). Employee’s skills are improved by coach’s suggestions, discussion, encouragement, counseling and providing guidance and feedback which is fundamental while using this technique. Successful coaching is a partnership between manager (coach) and employee (trainee), which helps individuals to break free of self-imposed limits, become clearer about their goals, willing to experiment with new approaches, and more determined and thus more likely to continue learning process. The manager as coach helps trainees to develop by giving them the opportunity to perform an increasing range of tasks, and helping them to learn from their experiences. A "coaching culture" within the organisation generates excellent environment for creativity, planning and problem solving. On the hand mentor is trusted and respectful person, who plays a senior role in the organisational structure. This “wise man” becomes the counselor, guide, tuto...