Abstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a personnel training model for Maskan Bank with a learning organization approach. This research was applicable-developmental in terms of its purpose, and was conducted with a qualitative approach of content analysis. The target population consists of academic experts in the field of educational management and banking. The research participants were 16 executive experts (subject-specific experts, managers and vice-presidents of Maskan Bank) as key informants, selected by purposive sampling and snowball method considering theoretical saturation. The data collection tool included semi-structured interviews with participants and document study. For data analysis, Atride-Sterling's (2001) three-stage coding was used utilizing MaxQDA software. After analyzing the data, the network of the themes of the staff training of Maskan Bank with the learning organization approach was formulated with 36 concepts (basic themes), 9 organizing themes, and 2 comprehensive themes. The research findings showed that the characteristics of the learning organization included personal capabilities and abilities, systemic thinking, shared vision, mental patterns and models, and team learning; and the staff training process included needs assessment and goal setting, training planning, training implementation, and evaluation. In general, it can be said that considering the learning organization in training employees in the form of a comprehensive and inclusive model, the improvement of the quality of staff training and the acquisition of competitive advantage could be anticipated.
Introduction
Training is included as one of the sub-categories of staff development and promotion in the human resource development model in an organization. Therefore, one of the basic measures that make organizations efficient is the continuous development of human capital through training. In fact, training and development are the main conditions for the progress and success of any organization and contribute to competitiveness in a competitive environment (Noe, 2019). Therefore, the strategic position and importance of education in the survival and development of the organization is undeniable (Islampanah & Alvani, 2017); because through education, are the job needs of employees met and the need of employees to acquire new skills and knowledge is possible (Nazari Daulatabad & Gholami Chenaristan, 2023); and in this regard, Nzimakwe & Utete (2024) have considered the education and learning of employees in a learning organization the reason of employee performance increasing.
However, in the banking system as one of the parts of the competitive business environment, its successful growth depends on the learning organization; and commercial banks need trained and efficient employees (Lameck, 2022) to deal with the challenges of modern business. Nonetheless, it must be said that the quality of banking depends on the level of education and learning of its employees (Alavi Sang Cheshme, 2018). Undoubtedly, the most specialized and main prerequisites for training are, first of all, the development of a suitable training model, which, if not properly developed and implemented, will have undesirable effects on other training processes. Therefore, one of the leading issues for training managers is the issue of achieving a suitable training model for employees, which, according to research history, has not been researched as much in this area as in other banks such as; National Bank, Tejarat, Sepah and other banks. This issue therefore poses the most important question for the leading study, which is: what is the training model for Maskan Bank personnel with a learning organization approach?
Theoretical Framework
Human Resource Training with a Learning Organization Approach
Today, training is recognized as a tool through which organizations strengthen and improve their human assets as sustainable capital (Mohsen, 2020). Whenever the issue of poor employee performance is raised, the issue of providing employee training has been in the spotlight (Nzimakwe & Utete, 2024). Therefore, employee training is a pre-planned study of an organization with the aim of learning and developing the competencies, skills, knowledge and behavior of employees in their daily operations at the level required by the organization (Parent-Lamarche et al, 2023). With these theoretical considerations, learning organizations are a phenomenon whose pioneer founders are Schon and Argiris who proposed this issue in 1950. Following this, another expert named Senge in 1990, adapting the theories of Schon and Argiris to make it clearer and more practical, presented new principles about learning in organizations. His theory, entitled “The Fifth Discipline”, which introduced the learning organization as an organizational format relevant to the growing economic environment, was welcomed. He believed that the learning organization is actually a transition from a “mechanical” view of organizations to an organic, fluid view, requiring rapid and adaptive change in order to survive (Gronhaug & Stone, 2012). In Senge’s 1990 model, the learning organization has five general principles or components, which are: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and a systematic approach. Each of these components provides a vital direction to the organizational structure that is able to truly learn; to continuously expand its capacity to realize the highest aspirations and desires (Senge, 2009). In the present study, an attempt has been made to consider the main and fundamental model of the learning organization in developing the employee training model and to examine the relationships between its dimensions and components with employee training in order to discuss a system of integration of the dimensions of the learning organization and employee training and to clarify the systematic view that Senge referred to as the fifth discipline.
Research Methodology
The present study was a fundamental and exploratory study and; in terms of data collection, a qualitative study of the type of content analysis. The target population consists of academic experts in the field of educational management and banking. The research participants were 16 executive experts (subject-specific managers and vice-presidents of Maskan Bank) as key informants, selected through the purposive sampling method and the snowball method, taking into account the theoretical saturation issue. The data collection tool included semi-structured interviews with participants and document study.
Research findings
MAXQDA2018 software was used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the Maskan Bank personnel training model with a learning organization approach has 36 concepts (basic themes), 9 organizing themes, and 2 comprehensive themes of understanding formulation. The research findings showed that the characteristics of the learning organization included personal capabilities and abilities, systemic thinking, shared vision, mental patterns and models, and team learning; and the employee training process included needs assessment and goal setting, educational planning, training implementation, and evaluation. In summary, it can be said that considering the learning organization in employee training in the form of a comprehensive and inclusive model, the improvement of the quality of staff training and the acquisition of competitive advantage could be anticipated.
Conclusion
The present study was conducted with the aim of presenting a model for training personnel at Maskan Bank with a learning organization approach. The results of this study are consistent with the findings of Gharib Navaz (2019), Hamidi et al, (2023), Atiku et al., (2022), Najafpour et al, (2020), Damirchi et al, (2020), and Sembera (2016).
In line with these findings, Nzimakwe & Utete (2024) have acknowledged that employee training is considered as the main and central driving force for effective and efficient job performance. In their opinion, today, in the human resource development model of every organization, training is considered as one of the sub-categories of employee development and promotion. Also, it should be said that employee training and development is a strategic action at the individual level that makes the individual valuable, at the organizational level improves and develops the organization, and at the national level leads to increased productivity and subsequent results (Noe, 2019). With this theoretical perspective, and in accordance with the findings, Gharib Navaz (2019) has acknowledged that the learning organization approach is effective in employee training by referring to the main categories of effective training with the learning organization approach and the interactive role of this approach to the core of training in the organization. Also Hamidi et al, (2023) has acknowledged that employee training with the knowledge and learning management approach is considered a major part of every job, and meanwhile, employees learn from each other and teach others, and the knowledge needs of employees and the organization can be successfully met. In this regard, in another study, Sembera (2016) has acknowledged in a study in the banking industry in Uganda that knowledge management and organizational learning work better than organizational training in gaining competitive advantage (cited in Hamidi et al, 2023). With these interpretations, from the participants' point of view, if the employee training process is integrated with the characteristics of a learning organization, it will help Maskan Bank in its development goals; therefore, the professional development of employees with their personal capabilities and abilities should be integrated in the form of team learning, and individual learning may be effective for an individual, but team learning with a shared perspective and systemic thinking is more effective and leads to individual and team productivity. It is suggested that, considering the importance of teachers' influence on students and considering that knowledge and skills can be acquired, learned, and transferred, it is necessary to seriously discuss and examine the characteristics and methods of training teachers in order to develop and improve their competence, so that more justified principles and programs can be developed for training competent teachers who are up-to-date and compatible with rapid developments.
Based on the explanation of the results obtained, the following suggestions are presented:
1- Banks, especially Maskan Bank, need to train their employees with a learning organization approach in order to overcome complex environmental conditions due to their environmental and local conditions.
2- One of the ways for banks to excel over other competitive and commercial organizations is to pay attention to continuous and comprehensive learning, and the learning organization approach with its dimensions can help create a competitive advantage.
3- Paying attention to the dimensions of the learning organization in training Maskan Bank personnel, including; common ideals, attention to individual capabilities, consideration of systemic thinking and mental models in employee learning with a view to team learning can motivate employees.