Learning can occur at any level in an organization (from the individual to organizational). However individual learning does not always result in organizational performance, nor do individuals have the motivation, understanding, capacity, and opportunity to join teams for collective learning. The question is how to create this cross-level learning. The researchers have the following suggestions:
1. Traditionally, a top-down enactment of learning has disadvantages, as was seen in LO1, which was imposed coercively by the chairman. Though this chairman enthusiastically arranged an organizational-wide project, the learners said the enforced participation caused them to have less spontaneous involvements. Two reasons explain this opinion. First, learning issues identified by powerful representatives are not always the ones that employees at the lower levels would like to pursue. Second, the targets set by the powerful representatives can increases homogeneity within the organization, creating a loss of adaptation to environmental changes in the organization. The researchers recommend that participants for the learning activities should be brought on board to help the development of objectives in order to increase motivation and change. The selection of learning targets should also be left open and involvement should be voluntary in order to aid in the enhancement and creation of diverse perspectives.
2. There are four transfer mechanisms for cross-level learning that integrate the learning effects. First, forming of self-managed team to play a role of facilitating agent. In our research, the Internal Consultant Team functioned as change agents that translated organizational goals into guidance for group and individual learning. Also, the team managed the new learning climate to be less affected by previously institutionalized learning. Second, having project learning teams to induce effective organizational learning. Team as a learning unit interconnects individual and organizational learning. The team-learning project in this research was used as a tool to integrate diverse learning effects into organizational practices. Project-based learning is a feasible way to learn and to act. Third, having autonomy of action, learners were more likely to learn in jointly sense-making process. Autonomy allowed individuals to explore new solutions and to approach new possibilities. In the learning process, team-learning skills and norms are key factors to the successful collective learning experiences. Team-learning skills that help subordinates to make transition from Model I to Model II learning systems (Argyris & Schon, 1996) can be targeted as formal training for unit supervisors. And last, endorsement of the top management is significant to the institutionalizing process in the hospital. The top management has the power to ensure that new learning can be encoded into hospital routines. Therefore in deciding if new learning is more than a fad, the top management plays a critical role in the reinforcing the successful learning effects.