Facilitating knowledge and learning capabilities through neuro-linguistic programming

Abstract

Knowledge and learning capabilities assist organizations to recognize and assimilate new information, apply it toward new ends, and are a continuous genesis of creation and recreation where gestalts and logical structures are added or deleted from organizational memory. Accordingly, organizations that have a high level of knowledge and learning capabilities are potentially more innovative and adaptive as they are able to build on and generate new knowledge, which is crucial for strategic renewal. The management of knowledge and learning capabilities becomes critical if organizations are to become and remain competitive. One method for facilitating knowledge and learning capabilities is through neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). The NLP model suggests that subjective experience is encoded in terms of three main representation systems: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (VAK). NLP Practitioners argue that individuals prefer one representation system over another in a given context: the visual system includes external images, as well as remembered or constructed internal mental images; the auditory system includes external sounds and remembered or contrived internal sounds and the internal dialogue (i.e., a person talking to themselves on the inside); and the kinesthetic system includes tactile sensations caused by external forces acting on the body and emotional responses. There is a dearth of research conducted using the NLP approach in facilitating knowledge and learning capabilities in organizations. Accordingly, this paper critically reviews the literature and argues that since NLP may be used to facilitate knowledge and learning capabilities in organizations. We provide examples to illustrate the benefits of utilizing NLP in developing knowledge and learning capabilities in organizations. Future research direction and limitations will also be discussed.