Meaning and Process of Learning | Human Resource Management

Meaning and Process of Learning!

Meaning: Modern organizations are facing global competition. Further the rapid  development of information and technology has made the competition more and it has also made existing skill, knowledge, ability, etc worthless.  Therefore, organization have to follow a process or method to increase skill, knowledge, ability, competency, etc which is known as learning.

It can be defined as the process acquiring skill, knowledge, ability and changing the behavior. It brings relatively permanent change in human behavior.

In the words of SP Robbins, "Learning involves relatively permanent change in human behavior that occurs as a result of experience".

"Learning is a human process from which skill, knowledge, ability, habits and attitudes are acquired in such way from which behaviour is modified".

We can include that learning is a process of acquiring skill, knowledge, ability and bringing relatively permanent change on behaviour to achieve objectives.

Process of Learning

Learning is a continuous process that brings permanent changes on human behaviour as a consequences of past experiences. An effective model of learning process goes through following steps:

 1. Drive

It refers to the individual interest, desire or willingness to do or not to do something. A learner must have shorts of drive to learn something first otherwise the learning does not occur. It is also justified by the saying that one can bring the horse to the water but can not make him to drink the water.

 2. Stimulus

Stimulus refers to a thing or an object that stimulates or encourages individuals to learn something. It means, a willing individuals must have stimulus or object from learning. In the absence of stimulus, learning does not materialize.

 3. Response

Response is a consequences of interaction between the drive and stimulus. In other word, it is reaction over stimulus. It can be overt or covert such as perception, behavior, attitude, thinking, etc.

 4. Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a way of strengthening desirable behaviour or positive response or weakening undesirable behaviour or negative responses this means, when the learner gets support over his or her response that will be repeated or vice-versa.

 5. Retention

Retention is the final step of learning process where learned materials or information are preserved and used continuously.