In the not very far future, competition and performance will be depend on the competences and abilities the individuals and the organizations have at each level so that they can propose, design and implement viable and efficient strategies. Moreover, the high quality standards imposed upon the activities ran in the organizations as well as the opportunities for professional and personal development offered to the members of an organization require a continuous learning process. The main purpose in this research is the determination of the ways in which the organizations in the West side of Romania are organizations focused on learning.learning organization; competition; research; quality.

Denisa ABRUDAN

English

Research Papers in Economics

Review of International Comparative Management              Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010  461 
 
Applied Research Regarding Learning Organization Model 
Like a Necessary Model for Romanian’s Organizations 
 
Denisa ABRUDAN 
West University of Timisoara, Romania 
E-mail: denisa.abrudan@gmail.com 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Keywords: learning organization, competition, research, quality 
 
JEL classification: M 10, M 14 
 
 
1.  Research methodology 
 
  Regarding  the  determination  of  the  way  in  which  the  Romanian 
organizations are focused on learning, the study was made on a number of 153 
subjects from 22 organizations on the West side of Romania. 
  The sampling was random and was made after criteria that consider: the 
profitability rate in the last 3 years, the region where the company conducts its 
activities, the hierarchical position occupied in the organization. 
  In this context, we mention that the organizations we investigated were 
localized only in profit making areas, organizations chosen exclusively from the 
West side of the country and the respondent subjects are from higher hierarchical 
structures-36.6% as well as lower ones- 63.4%. 
  The research method used was the investigation based on survey and the 
instrument used was the questionnaire. 
  This includes a number of 5 questions that were made to evaluate a series 
of aspects such as: personal and profesional development of the respondents, the 
common vision, the capacity of being open-minded and to learn in a team. The 
information was processed using the programs SPSS and EXCELL. 
  The interresting aspect is that the given results show the complexity of the 
problems  the  organization  in  Romania  have,  as  well  as  some  opportunities 
Abstract 
  In the not very far future, competition and performance will be depend on the 
competences and abilities the individuals and the organizations have at each level so 
that they can propose, design and implement viable and efficient strategies. Moreover, 
the high quality standards imposed upon the activities ran in the organizations as well 
as  the  opportunities  for  professional      and  personal  development  offered  to  the 
members of an organization require a continuous learning process. 
  The main purpose in this research is the determination of the ways in which 
the organizations in the West side of Romania are organizations focused on learning.     Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010                   Review of International Comparative Management  462 
regarding  the  employees  desire  to  be  creative,  open  minded,  the  manager’s 
involvment in dealing with the new problems that appear in organizations. 
 
2. The analysis of the way in which the Romanian organizations  
are focused on learning 
 
In order to generate real performances, time lasting, the organizations are 
building  an  working  environment  based  on  continuous  learning,  cooperation, 
results, performance and excellence. 
From this perspective, in this study, the concept of organization focused on 
learning  was  analyzed  using  the  following  elements:  common  vision,  team 
learning, personal and professional development. 
 
A.  COMMON VISION 
Considering the idea that the main problems an learning organization has 
can be generated by the lack of a strategy for development, initiative, flexibility, 
adaptability  to  change  and  creativity,  the  research  results  show  a  series  of 
important aspects. 
  A direct effect of the incapacity of the organization of having a coherent, 
lasting vision to ensure a continuity  is the lack of a development strategy which is 
notified by the respondents but, unfortunately, the number of those who consider 
this an important problem is a small one. 
  This  indicates  that  there  is  a  great  lack  of  responsibility  from  all  the 
members of the organization: managers and subordinates. What can be noticed in 
this case is the convergence in opinions, opinions that show a situation that is 
unfavorable for the organization. 
Regarding the lack of initiative, it represents a real break in the existence 
and development of an organization, an important cause if the organization wishes 
to be competitive on the market. The data retrieved from the respondents confirms 
the lack of initiative. 
The idea that the lack of initiative is less important in the opinion of the 
members  of  an  organization,  regardless  the  fact  that  they  are  managers  or 
subordinates is extremely  harmful for the progress and the development of the 
organization because it leads in a short period of time to the incapacity of facing 
the opportunities in its environment. 
  In our opinion, this could be an explanation for the fact that the companies 
in Romania have short term as well as on long term losses.  
Moreover, other possible explanations could be given by: the absence of 
flexibility,  adaptability,  creativity.  Nowadays  those who    have real  chances for 
succes and development given the fact that the environment where they place their 
activity  are  the  organizations  that  are  interrested  in  flexibility,  adaptability  to 
change  and  competitivity.  This  shows that  regarding  the  degree  of  adaptability 
perceived by the respondents, the results are in the same trend which means that a 
great part of the subjects give a small importance to this adaptability and flexibility Review of International Comparative Management              Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010  463 
problem.  This  reveals  the  conservatism,  the  lack  of  vision,  a  strict  behaviour 
coming from the managers, behaviour that can influence the atitudes of the others, 
the employees with working positions. 
The same situation presents when we talk about the lack of creativity in 
organizations,  this  representing  the  reason  why  the  company  learns.  This  is  a 
situation  that  is  not  favourable  for  the  organizations  that  wish  to  grow  and  to 
develop  and  it  is  known  that  without  creativity  there  can  be  no  progress  and 
nothing new would be discovered. 
The  double  percentage  of  the  subordinates  in  comparison  with  the 
managers show that the employees that have execution positions want to be more 
innovative in the activity they have at their job but the lack of support from their 
superiors makes them act in a continuous state of uncertinty. 
 
B.  OPEN-MINDED ATITUDE 
The existing systems are not capable to successfully deal with the existing 
long-term challenges- globalization, demographic growth, digital technology, the 
degradation of the environment- in terms of the competences given to individuals, 
groups and organizations in order to adapt dynamically to the changes that appear 
in an environment that is more complex and uncertain. In a not very far future the 
competition and performance will depend in an essential way on the competences, 
the knowledge and abilities the individuals and the organizations have in order to 
propose, design and implement viable and efficient strategies. 
In  this  situation  the  anticipative  thinking,  the  fact  that  they  are  open-
minded are inner demands for the organizations that want to achieve long term 
performances. 
  From the perspective of encouraging the new ideas the study shows that 
the opinions differ again on hierarchical levels, the subordinates stating in a smaller 
percentage than the managers that they are encouraged to express their ideas. On 
the other hand, almost a half of the managers have a different perception of this and 
they consider that that encourage new ideas. 
The difference between the opinion of the two categories of subjects show 
that in organizations there are problems even from this perspective. 
There  is  gratifying  fact,  that  there  are  managers-  although  in  a  small 
percentage of 10,7%- who admit that they encourage the creativity and initiative of 
their subordinates in a small way. We consider this an expression of responsibility 
that the managers have taken regarding their role in promoting progress.  
Regarding the opportunities of learning new things, in any organization 
that wishes to be dynamic, open-minded, and with various influences from the 
environment, the building of a favorable frame for the process of learning appears 
as a natural characteristic. 
As the results show, the subordinates appreciate the opportunity of learning 
new things in a bigger proportion than the managers and this fact shows that they 
are more open-minded.     Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010                   Review of International Comparative Management  464 
A  very  important  aspect  is  shown  by  the  answers  the  subjects  gave 
regarding the involvement of the managers in solving new problems as, somehow 
contrary to the other results so far regarding the degree of opening to new, this 
appears almost unanimously accepted by both categories. 
  We consider that this aspect means a great level of interest for making 
things work in organizations even if there still are many situations in which this 
does not happen. 
 
C.  TEAM LEARNING 
The teams, a superior form of social organization, oriented more towards 
the objectives than the organization, present a great flexibility because they can be 
easily made, dissolved, reorganized, resized. In the context in which the team is an 
excellent  environment  for  learning,  the  team  learning  becomes  an  important 
solution for dealing with complex problems that require opinions and complex and 
different knowledge. 
Concerning the team learning, the answers the subjects gave showed that 
the  ability  of  team  learning  is  extremely  important.  Giving  the  higher  level  of 
appreciation managers as well as the subordinates, this shows that team learning 
has become a sine-qua-non condition for achieving performance at personal level 
as well as in the company. 
Learning in a team became nowadays a fundamental premise for achieving 
excellent results. 
 
D.  PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT 
High quality standards imposed upon the activity in the organization as 
well as the personal as well as professional development opportunities offered to 
the members of an organization require a continuous process of learning. 
Concerning the professional and personal development, if more than half 
of  the  managers  consider  that  they  have  a  successful  career,  there  also  is  an 
important percentage of the managers (over a quarter of them) who appreciate the 
fact that they are in a stagnating stage of their careers. Regarding the subordinates, 
the results are even more interesting because they show an  equilibrium in their 
opinions, some appreciating positively their evolution and some not. 
In our opinion, this situation is generated by the perception each has on 
responsibility: some are satisfied by the fact that their responsibilities correspond 
the level of competence they achieved, some not, in the latter appearing a feeling of 
frustration, unsatisfaction, demotivation in work. 
The  professional  and  personal  development  equally  refers  to  the 
professional training, development of necessary abilities at the working place, free 
expression of opinion, initiative and new ideas, stability and safety regarding the 
job,  aspects  analyzed  in  the  following  part  and  which  provides  important 
conclusions. 
Considering  the  providing  of  training  programs,  the  results  show  a 
convergence  of  opinions  which  means  that  both  managers  and  subordinates 
consider trainings to have a fundamental role in the development of competences Review of International Comparative Management              Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010  465 
and abilities needed for a good going of activities at the working place. This proves 
that a great part of them are aware of the fact that through training they can develop 
their  knowledge  and  abilities they  need  to  meet  their  objectives.  Moreover,  by 
training the employees get to better understand what it is asked from them and the 
role they can have in the organization. 
In our opinion, the participation of the employees at a series of trainings 
has some benefits because by developing new competences this learn how to solve 
with professionalism the problems that can appear in the activity they have in the 
organization, they gain a motivation for performance and the also understand that 
the  organization  appreciates  their  qualities  and  they  are  important  for  the 
development of the company. 
About the free expression of opinion, the initiative and the new ideas seen 
from the perspective of professional and personal development the research shows 
that if  most managers say they encourage the freedom of expression there are 
fewer those who say that among the subjects with execution  positions. 
This situation suggest that in these organizations there are different views 
about  the  lack  of  communication  at  all  levels,  of  the  oscillating  behavior  of 
managers who act under the impulse of having instant results, the incapacity of the 
managers  or  the  lack  of  will  in  noticing  the  real  problems  that  exist  in  the 
organizations they manage. 
We consider we have a relevant result for the organizational environment 
in Romania regarding the safety of the job. Considering this and the concept of 
professional  and  personal  development  the  information  describes  a  normal 
situation. 
We  mention  normality  because  according  to  the  managerial  culture  in 
Romania the safety of the job of managers has been transformed in a fundamental 
need with stronger accents than in the case of simple employees and that is because 
of the benefits this position offers. Therefore, if in the case of employees with 
execution positions we find different opinions in all 5 levels of appreciation, in the 
case of managers these say that a representative element for their professional and 
personal development is the safety of the job.    
These affirmations are also strengthened by the conclusion regarding the 
fact that respondents would rather have a safer job that is less paid than a job that is 
not  that  safe  but  well  paid,  conclusion  that  shows  the  lack  of  flexibility  and 
adaptability  of  these  individuals  regarding  the  challenges  that  appear  in  the 
organizational environment, challenges that impose a new set of competences and 
are mostly oriented towards performance. 
These things considered, the safety of the job is an important motivational 
factor for employees in all the organizations we studied, who manage to achieve 
their goals not being threatened by the possibility of losing their job. We think that, 
in this case, this aspect is a reflection of cultural representations specific to many 
organizations  in  Romania,  representations  that  prove  to  be  old.  Nowadays  the 
culture of a job for life has ended. As an effect of this, the security of the position 
one has as an employee, either manager or subordinate will be exclusively based on     Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010                   Review of International Comparative Management  466 
performance and competence and not on the model of paternal dependence. This is 
about a new relationship, more mature between the employer and the employee, 
relationship that encourages the capacity of making the best of all the learning 
opportunities given by the organization. 
Besides  job  security  the  extra  benefits  offered  by  other  organizations 
represent another motivational element that determines the attraction and loyalty of 
quality, competent, open-minded and willing to improve employees. 
From this perspective the answers we have show that managers, over 50% 
of them consider that they offer this kind of benefits, whereas the subordinates, 
little less over 50% say that the organization offers little or none at all comparing to 
other  organizations. 
We have to state that there are among the subordinates opinions according 
to which these extra benefits are more than in other companies which shows that 
individuals have different needs, the satisfaction of these needs meaning a personal 
and professional development. 
 
Final conclusions 
 
  Nowadays  elements  as  the  opportunity  of  using  one's  potential  in  an 
ongoing activity, the opportunity of having a great job, of learning new things have 
a great importance for the employees as well as the material incentives, that are 
still  the  main  element  that  encourages  the  high  involvement  of  the  Romanian 
employees. 
  In the western companies of Romania we can notice the need of creating a 
transparent environment based on communication and trust which will give the 
employees a strong feeling of support. 
  This happens even more due to the fact that the employees, mostly those at 
the  bottom  of  the  organization,  feel  that  the  traditional  elements  can  create 
problems in the future. As a consequence, these employees are more willing to 
change than their managers. 
  The  fact  that  many  managers  have  a  different  perception  than  their 
subordinates on the problems that appear in the organizations leads to the emerging 
of an opened conflict between the two parts, which is harmful for everyone. 
  The results of this study show that in the Western region the organizations 
face a series of problems that appear due to the managers' lack of capacity or even 
lack of will in noticing the real problems that the organization has. In the end it is 
all about attitude, behavior and organizational culture. 
  The conclusion drawn from this complex analyze is that, in the social and 
economical  context  in  this  region,  there  is  a  mixture  of  values  and  a  pour 
leadership that stands in the way of performance and competiveness. The lack of 
initiative  and  the  lack  of  new  ideas  concerning  the  personal  and  professional 
development  strategies  and  the  lack  of  support  for  employee  initiative  are  the 
things that drive the organizations in Romania to have a difficult life. Review of International Comparative Management              Volume 11, Issue 3, July  2010  467 
   We appreciate that, in this context, the need of infusion of the elements 
that define a learning organization, of team learning, of promoting new ideas that 
would lead to professional involvement is felt stronger and stronger. 
  Today,  the  organizations  understand  that  the  main  characteristics  of 
performance  are  provided  by:  taking  on  new,  complex  responsibilities,  the 
orientation  towards  teamwork,  the  attitude  towards  change  and  the  continuous 
learning, the gaining of respect for the employees, the loyalty and trust in those 
working for the company as well as the clients. 
  All  in  all,  reaching  performance  as  an  individual  and  as  a  company 
depends only on our ability of acting on those terms. 
  We strongly believe that, in the future, only the organizations that will 
follow these principles will last and will succeed. 
 
 
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2.  Certo S.C. (2002), Managementul modern, Bucureşti, Editura Teora 
3.  Chişu V.A. (2002), Manualul specialistului de resurse umane, Editura Ericson  
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Codecs  
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Introducere în managementul resurselor umane,

Managementul resurselor umane,

Manualul specialistului de resurse umane,

Performanţa în organizaţii din perspectiva resurselor umane,

Applied Research Regarding Learning Organization Model Like a Necessary Model for Romanian’s Organizations

http://www.rmci.ase.ro/no11vol3/Vol11_No3_Article10.pdf

Applied Research Regarding Learning Organization Model Like a Necessary Model for Romanian’s Organizations

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Research Papers in Economics