Coping with learning styles during organizational changes

Abstract

Motivation -- For organizational changes to be successful, adaptation and employees' collaboration are frequently needed and, often implies to learn new skills and perform new tasks. Organizational changes occur in phases from the analysis of the current problems to the creation and implementation of solutions. Furthermore, people with different learning styles seem to adapt better to these different phases. The main goal of our project is to develop a system that allows for collaboration through the organizational phases in an adaptive way as a function of the learning style. Research approach -- After a pilot study that establishes the exact connection between learning styles and performance in organizational phases, an initial prototype of the adaptive system is described. Findings/Design -- The main goals of our research project are to explore the relationships between learning styles and organizational changes and to design an adaptive system for learning styles during the different phases of organizational changes. Research limitations/Implications -- Research on this line has been scarce and the need of considering collaboration and communication adds complexity to the task at hand. Originality/Value -- The relevance of this research is theoretical and practical. Theoretically this research will help to understand the connection between the organizational lifecycles and learning styles. In practice, the development of an adaptive system for learning skills and procedures, and not only content, will help organizations in the process of adapting successfully to changes. Take away message -- An adaptive system that motivates employees to learn the proper skills needed and guide them during organizational changes can decrease rejections to change in organizations and increase success.