Using the DLOQ to Support Learning in Republic of Korea SMEs

Abstract

The Problem Watkins and Marsick (1993) recommend that interventions be sculpted to meet unique organizational contexts and conditions. They provide examples, but do not show how interventions can be designed based on the dimensions of the learning organization questionnaire (DLOQ). The Solution The Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) used the DLOQ to guide development of a policy-oriented Learning Organization Initiative (LOI) to increase employee skills and capabilities in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Research was prompted by awareness of gaps in resource use and of differences in how employees prefer to learn in SMEs in comparison to large companies. This article shows how the DLOQ guided work with multiple stakeholders to create a customizable set of interventions for SMEs. The Stakeholders Scholar practitioners and policy specialists may be interested in ways that policy was crafted to suit the unique learning preferences of SMEs when developing solutions that support within-firm, across-firm, and national human resource development.