Needs Assessment for Proposed OD Interventions to Improve a Learning Organization: A Case Study of University Administrative Staff in China
Abstract
Learning Organization is the key to organizational success, especially in the fast-changing environments where innovation drives change. Higher education is evolving rapidly in today’s global connectivity, technological advances, and student diversity. The future of education will be very different from how we are experiencing today. HIU is the research site for this study, with a total number of 80 as the participants of this study, involving ten teaching and 24 administrative departments. The objective of this study is to identify priority needs for OD interventions. Two research instruments employed in this study comprised 1) a 30-question structured questionnaire and 2) 4-interview questions. This study employed descriptive statistics and content analysis. In the end, this research found that the current and desired situation of the HIU administrative staff learning behavior based on learning organization theory, and identified the order of priority needs for HIU administrative staff learning organization, and also proposed an initial OD program essential for learning organization for administrative staff. Key results indicated significant discrepancies between current and ideal states across all measured variables. Organizational Culture and Organizational Norms were identified as the highest-priority improvement areas, underscoring deficiencies in cross-departmental collaboration and psychological safety. The proposed OD interventions focus on three strategic areas: cultural transformation, collaborative learning infrastructure, and vision alignment.
References
Bal, H. Ç., & Erkan, Ç. (2019). Industry 4.0 and competitiveness. Procedia Computer Science, 158, 625-631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.096
Bui, H., & Baruch, Y. (2010). Creating learning organizations in higher education: applying a systems perspective. The Learning Organization, 17(3)
Ellison, R. L., Cory, M., Horwath, J., Barnett, A., & Huppert, E. (2020). Can mentor organizations impact mentor outcomes? Assessing organizational norms on mentor intent to stay and willingness to go the extra mile. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(7), 2208-2220. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22391
Garvin, D. (1993). Building a learning organization. Harvard Business Review, 71(4), 78-91.
Harrison, R. (2000). Learning, knowledge productivity and strategic progress. International Journal of Training and Development, 4(4), 244-58.
Jaaron, A., & Backhouse, C. (2017). Operationalising “Double-Loop” Learning in Service Organisations: A Systems Approach for Creating Knowledge. Systemic Practice & Action Research, 30(4), 317-337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-016-9397-0
Jain, A. K., & Moreno, A. (2015). Organizational learning, knowledge management practices and firm's performance: An empirical study of a heavy engineering firm in India. The Learning Organization, 22(1), 14-39.
Kuźmicz, K. A. (2015). Benchmarking in University Development Towards a Learning Organisation. International Journal of Contemporary Management, 14(2), 89-101.
López, S. P., Peón, J. M. M., & Ordás, C. J. V. (2006). The organisational context of learning: an empirical analysis. International Journal of Technology Management, 35(1-4), 196-223. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.2006.009235
Miller, M. T. (2021). Do learning organizations learn? higher education institutions and pandemic response strategies. The Learning Organization, 28(1), 84-93.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-09-2020-0159
Rossi, J. (2006). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture. T+D, 60(2), 71.
Richman, J. (1983). Systems Theory for Organization Development (Book Review). Journal of Occupational Psychology, 56(2), 178-180.
Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Senge, P. (1993). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Century Business.
Watkins, K. E., & Marsick, V. J. (1993). Sculpting the learning organization: Lessons in the art and science of systemic change. Jossey-Bass.
Zhou, Y. W., & Zheng, J. C. (2017). Development and validation of an evaluation scale for learning organizations: A case study of Company A.
https://www.cko.com.cn/news/883.html
Zipple, A. M. (2001). Learning in Action (Book Review). Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25(1), 93-94.


