PAL framework implementation in an LO and OL project

Since the 90's, the concept of learning organization (LO) has attracted increasing number of Western organizations eager to raise their performance and competitiveness to cope with challenges brought about by trade globalization. However, there have not been many LO implementations in organizations in the East. Today, after twenty years of high-speed development, particularly after her WTO entry, many well established and successful organizations in China are also facing this increasing competition. Some of these organizations are turning to LO concept to improve performance and sustain competitiveness. This paper reports the LO experience of one such company in Southern China. This LO project was started in the Business Unit 1 (BU1) of SAE Magnetics Ltd (SAE) in 2002. It was a four-year long collaborative project between SAE and City University (CityU)s academics. The paper describes the implementation of the Project Action Learning (PAL) framework in the BU1 of SAE. PAL serves as the organizational learning (OL) vehicle for the different team-based learning activities in BU1. In this paper, we report the successful start to PAL introduction and the subsequent four completed rounds of the PAL implementation. These multiple PAL case study documents BU1's PAL experience. Evaluation results show that the PAL framework is effective as an OL vehicle driving BU1 towards the long term goal of LO. Tangible and specific improvements are achieved, the need and willingness to learn is gradually being ingrained into individuals. The readiness to share learning among members of PAL teams are sure signs of the seed of LO culture germinating and growing in BU1 of SAE.