Digital Transformation of Learning Organizations

Citation

Lameky, V.Y. (2024), "Digital Transformation of Learning Organizations", The Learning Organization, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1039-1041. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-09-2024-311

Digital transformation of learning organizations uses digital technology to increase learning initiatives’ efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility (Bower, 2019). This includes using various technologies such as online learning platforms, data analytics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality (Kropf, 2013) and other digital tools to update and enrich the learning experience (Conole & Brown, 2018).

The book by Ifenthaler et al. (2021) titled Digital Transformation of Learning Organizations offers innovative steps that need to be implemented in the fields of technology and learning today and in the future, namely, first, the development of “augmentation strategies,” which include “step in,” “step forward,” “step to the side,” “step forward” and “narrow step.” This strategy is designed to prepare job groups for the variety of production and service processes possible with intelligent machines, for productive collaboration with intelligent machines and for constantly changing competency requirements. Second, there is a need for openness and transparency in the decision-making process, especially regarding introducing new technology or changes to processes related to work and education. It is essential to provide a testing ground for new technologies, allowing employees to practice digital technologies. Third, the reorganization of knowledge management accompanied by digitalization presents significant challenges. Physical and digital spaces must be created for informal forms of knowledge transfer and dedicated times for formal knowledge transfer. Fourth, the development and application of innovative technology must be carried out to become a model for other digitalization projects. This involves detailed planning and process reflection, involving and motivating people to participate and training the team to evaluate innovative projects’ ethical aspects.

The target readers of this book are educators, researchers, policymakers and professionals in the fields of education and technology. This includes those involved in vocational education, media education, pedagogy, psychology and educational sciences. This book will interest anyone researching or implementing digital transformation in educational organizations.

The novelty of this book lies in its critical approach to the field of technology and learning, as it emphasizes the importance of curiosity and an open-minded attitude, critical thinking from various points of view and careful selection of digital resources. It also highlights the need for a paradigm shift toward adopting less linear and isolated technologies for poststructural and integrated interdisciplinary leadership approaches in policy and computer science. The book emphasizes the importance of accepting failure as part of the learning process and the need for a new understanding of the roles of educators and students. In addition, it provides a comprehensive framework for considering digital transformation factors in learning organizations (such as knowledge, skills and deutero learning).

Each book chapter contains information and empirical data (such as chronology, case studies and research results) about technology and learning. A balance of subject matter and book-length is achieved. Each discussion is concise and straightforward to enrich knowledge. There are two parts of the book with significant themes for discussion: Part I provides detailed insights into the #ko. vernetzt project that monitors and supports the digital transformation of educational organizations. Part II presents an international perspective on the digital transformation of learning organizations.

In more detail, Part 1 (pages 3–57) explains the #ko. vernetzt project started in 2017 to support the digital transformation process at Kolping-Bildungswerk Paderborn for three years as an example of a networked educational organization. The project was based on quantitative and qualitative research. It elucidated the challenges educational organizations face and the type of support needed for their development and the development of their stakeholders. The #ko. vernetzt project was a joint research and development project to promote digital media competence and media education in vocational education and training. Berlin-Brandenburg Youth Film Television Institute e.V. (JFF-BB) was responsible for research network coordination and project management. Further partners in the network were the University of Cologne, the University of Mannheim and the Kolping-Bildungswerk Paderborn gGmbH (in short, KBW). The #ko. vernetzt project also initiated various externally funded projects and digital transformation processes at Kolping-Bildungswerk Paderborn and with various cooperation partners. The #ko. vernetzt project was part of the edited volume Digital Transformation of Learning Organizations and aimed to provide insights into how organizations change by adopting digital technologies. The authors stated that individuals or groups working in education should be encouraged to constantly renew themselves as employees, to react flexibly and agilely to external requirements and to generate creative solutions to face challenges as a networked organization. This serves to strengthen institutional digital competences related to employees’ work in educational organizations.

Part II (pages 61–244) explains digital transformation as a potential source of crisis for organizations and develops a theoretical framework for further empirical research. Highlighting learning organizations in the era of intelligent machines, the authors argue that research on learning organizations has, so far, failed to appreciate the relevance of two interrelated loci of learning in organizations:

1. advanced digital systems (“smart machines”) and their evolving capacities to carry out tasks; and

2. employee collaboration with these intelligent machines (hybrid and augmentation activities).

Discussing this concept is still early and raises many questions, especially from an educational perspective. The concept of digital twins hints at a profound transformation underway, and the authors invite us to consider its implications for learning organizations.

The implication of this book is to provide a critical perspective on the relationship between technology and learning, which can provide input for current and future research and practice. The book comprehensively explains how technology can support the learning process by providing a “knowledge superhighway” and infrastructure to support information exchange, collaboration and access to learning resources. In addition, this book shows how technology can support changes in the roles of teachers and students, enabling new interactions and assisting students in the learning process. It warns about the dangers of adopting technology without considering the overall benefits to the school or community (such as instructions for use). In addition, it shows how a fear of failure can hinder technology implementation and experimentation with learning from any professional development format (such as fear of new technologies). It shows how technology can be used to support change in higher education but also shows resistance to digital change.

This book offers several advantages; first, it provides insights from research projects and international case studies, providing a global perspective on digital transformation in learning organizations. Second, it focuses on the #ko. vernetzt project, which monitors and supports the digital transformation of educational organizations. It provides concrete and practical examples of how educational organizations can adapt and change in the digital era. Third, it discusses various aspects of digital transformation, including digital teaching, knowledge management, work organization and literacy. This provides a comprehensive picture of the challenges and opportunities of digitalization in education organizations. Fourth, the editors and contributors of this book are experts in various fields related to education and technology. They have worked on projects and researched topics such as internships, creativity support in vocational education, arts-based research, comparative education and the integration of refugees into the job market, making the content more exciting and relevant for readers.