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Most digital educations that we produce are distributed via Learning Management Systems (LMS). An LMS can have various functions, but commonly administrate e-courses and report results.
Our LMS Online Academy is built to adapt its functions in relation to different projects and client needs. But we still have a long way to go. Lennart Helmbold, responsible for learning at Media Evolution, and author of the chapter “Tools for a learning organization” in the anthology ”Delad kunskap är dubbel kunskap” (Shared Knowledge is Doubled Value) has made some interesting points about “learning organizations” and an approach that may alter our perception of learning forever.

Non-hierarchical structure is essential

Helmbold wants to show how it is possible to create learning organizations, and also argues for the benefits of doing so. The difference between a learning organization and an organization that engages in learning is mostly an issue of culture and structure. Helmbold claims that many offices today are highly influenced by a hierarchical structure that inhibits the type of culture that is crucial in order to develop a learning organization.
A hierarchical structure tends to create a culture where learning is regarded a separate activity. The learning activities may be a couple of courses per year, or conferences that are likely very interesting, but may not be organized to see to the challenges the participants face in their everyday work.

Integrate learning to form an organic organization structure

In a learning organization learning is an integral part of everyday life, which means that all staff are in a continuous learning process. This learning process may be very different, but it will always depart from the individual and thereby open up for an entrepreneurial environment, and also more effective learning.
The problem that has been in the way for achieving an effective learning process of this kind has been the same that has troubled organizers for a long time, namely the difficulty of creating communication channels that enables large organizations to meet individual needs. This is an administrative problem as well as an economic issue.
Lennart Helmbold points at the possibilities of combining digital education with traditional teaching methods (resulting in blended learning) in order to administrate this learning process in a way that makes the economic arguments for maintaining hierarchical structures lose their bearing. And that is when it starts to get really interesting. When the choice to create learning organizations is a reality to all organizations and companies – as long as they have the right motivation and a firm belief in the values that it represents.

And that is where we are. Trying to solve the administrative problem by creating new types of LMS’s, and other solutions too, that answers to the individual without complicating the system the individual takes part of.