The Secrets of Becoming a Learning Organization (original) (raw)
Related papers
What does “learning organization” mean?
The Learning Organization, 2018
Purpose The paper aims to offer an overview of the definition of the concept of learning organization to be used, related to and taken as a starting point for further conceptual developments by others writing about and using the learning organization concept. An additional purpose is to suggest how the concept of learning organization could be demarcated to define what would be demanded from any particular organization to be counted as a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. To define the learning organization, a label-focused approach and a content-focused approach are used. A contextual approach is suggested as the most appropriate tool for demarcating the concept of learning organization. Findings It is suggested that there are four versions of learning organization, which can all be related to three different forms of organizational aspects. Furthermore, a contextual approach is suggested to demarcate how to define learning organization t...
A Literatur Review in Learning Organization
International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership
The learning organization idea represents a shift in how organizations are developed and grow. Within the training and development literature, staff development and individual learning were emphasized. This review undertakes a critical review of the confused and confusing literature on the learning organization. Draws on both psychological and organizational perspectives and focuses on the distinction between organizational learning and the concept of the learning organization. The discussion is centered around the issues of learning organization and the nature of learning organization. The issues include the neglect of intra-organizational phenomena and a lack of clarity regarding the treatment of the organization, the nature of learning itself, the lack of an accepted theory of what constitutes a learning organization's culture and climate, the impact of organizational size, the role of teamwork within the learning organization concept, and the fundamental question of whether ...
Introduction: putting the learning organization into context: an emerging research field
Handbook of Research on the Learning Organization
You have just started reading a book about the learning organization idea and its applicability in and relevance to organizations in different contexts. I assume that you, to begin with, want to know how this book in itself is relevant and how it is different from other books on the learning organization; that is, what you can learn from this book. This introductory chapter addresses these issues. The overall aim of this book is to pay attention to and acknowledge the study of the relevance of the learning organization idea to organizations in different contexts as an emerging research field, in terms of looking at previous studies (past), showing some relevant new works (present), and drawing up lines for further research (future). A more utilitarian aim is to offer knowledge (as well as support for further knowledge-seeking) on what organizations in various particular contexts need to do to become learning organizations or, if this is not recommendable, how the learning organization idea needs to be adapted to become relevant to organizations within a particular context. The learning organization idea, and how it will be defined throughout this book, is further elaborated on in Chapter 2. As a background to the reading of this first chapter of the book, a short introduction to the idea might still be helpful. The term 'learning organization' has been here for quite some time now; it occurred in academic works on learning and development in relation to organization and management as far back as the 1970s (Örtenblad 2007a). However, it did not become an 'idea' in its own right until the late 1980s and early 1990s. The world-famous book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, authored by Peter Senge (1990), came to be synonymous with the learning organization idea despite the fact that the term 'learning organization' had occurred in book titles several years earlier (e.g., Garratt 1987). Senge's book gained enormous popularity and was the starting point for a huge number of other academic as well as more practice-oriented writings. A journal entitled The Learning Organization was launched a few years after Senge's book was published; it remains in existence today, now
The Learning Organization: Critical Analysis and Future Directions
2019
This chapter contains a critical analysis of the learning organization (LO). As part of this agenda, the possibilities for a more positive agenda for LO are also explored. The chapter introduces a political perspective in which LO is seen as part of power relations that produce particular types of learning. From this perspective the authors move to Foucault’s later ethical writings to clarify an important distinction between reflective and reflexive practices. Three different narratives of LO are then identified and discussed. 1st generation LO is characterized by learning models that are consistent with the rationalities of the classical bureaucratic model. 2nd generation LO is characterized by learning models that emphasize reflection, self-management, and self-directed learning according to corporate performance goals. 3rd generation LO focuses on reflexivity, creativity, and co-creation in groups and teams and across silos supported by the design of collective spaces where such ...
Current status and promising directions for research on the learning organization
This article examines the state of research on the learning organization in the field of HRD and future directions that hold promise for enriching our understanding of organizational learning and the learning organization. The article differentiates these two streams of research and explores areas where one body of research may be useful to the other. The article draws heavily on studies using the Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ©). Emerging work testing cross-cultural validity and levels of analysis, as well as social network analyses, shows promise in deepening our understanding of the construct. Finally, a case is made for the need for studies of learning organization interventions in order to continue to test the usefulness of the construct of a learning organization for HRD practitioners. K E Y W O R D S DLOQ, learning organization, organizational learning 1 | INTRODUCTION Once deemed a distant vision of an ideal state, the learning organization has been a stable construct in studies in HRD for over 20 years (Lundberg, 1989; Senge, 1990). In order to understand what is intrinsically inherent in conceptions of a learning organization, it is important to first define learning at the organizational level. This is particularly imperative if one seeks to measure learning at the organizational level-or in the case of the related learning organization construct, what facilitates or enables learning by organizations. Anchored in organizational behavior journals, scholars seldom discuss the learning organization literature and often dismiss it as little more than consultant speak, primarily prescriptive rather than descriptive research (Tsang, 1997). Furthermore, learning organization scholars often ignore studies of organizational learning, focusing instead on comparing the validity of different conceptions of the learning organization or on different measures (Song, Chermack, & Kim, 2013; Swanson & Chermack, 2013). But we cannot prescribe without first describing-or asking ourselves-what change we are trying to effect. And how do we know it would be valid? To address this conundrum, we begin by looking at differing theories of how organizations learn and the implications of these different conceptions for understanding the learning organization construct and ultimately how a learning organization might be most meaningfully assessed.
LEARNING ORGANIZATION [REVIEWED ARTICLE
The essence of LOs is effective organizational learning, but relevant academic disciplines, such as economics, anthropology, and social psychology, all entail different assumptions about what this might actually mean. Assorted analytical approaches such as population ecology and sociotechnical systems theory offer distinctly different vocabularies for describing what the LO might be or what it might do." [Snell, 2007] The learning organization (LO) is an idealized vision of an organization where the structures, routines, and working practices are open to continuous adaptation and improvement, where the individuals and teams engage in continuous learning, where the norms and values are supportive of continuous learning, and where strategic decision making is informed by and responsive to relevant data analysis and feedback.
Revisiting the roots of learning organization
The Learning Organization, 2005
Purpose-This paper aims to provide a literature synthesis of the learning organization and discuss several pertinent theoretical concepts on the subject. Design/methodology/approach-A range of works mainly from 1990-2004, which aim at providing a variety of perspectives on the learning organization, have been analyzed and discussed based on its theoretical roots and ontological perspectives. Findings-The synthesis of the literature reveals several common themes from the various learning organization definitions and discovers the greater significance of systems thinking in Senge's five disciplines. Research limitations/implications-It is not an exhaustive coverage of the learning organization literature. However it offers great research implications where several key concepts can be further explored. For example, is systems thinking really crucial to organizational learning? Practical implications-Practitioners may find the analysis of the various models in relation to Senge's five disciplines useful, as there are concepts that can be implemented in practice. Originality/value-It is the amalgamation of several key concepts in the learning organization and the analysis of these concepts in relation to The Fifth Discipline which readers will be familiar and able to identify with. People who are interested in pursuing research in the learning organization will find this paper handy as it provides a useful overview of the subject.
This critical study of a new idea for organizational learning named Learning Organization (LO) aims at contributing for the understanding of the managerial thinking, the developing of managers and researchers conscious practice and for an integrated grounded theory construction and managerial education. LO idea seems to be based upon developing an organic systems world view that doesn't prevail neither in organizational management theory nor in organizational learning research and practice -only receptive to adaptive change. If implementers and researchers don't realise that this LO idea can't be completely understood within the prevalent business and organizational theory paradigm and do not understand the required concomitant cognitive change for a learning organization to develop, this would not actually occur. This research will evaluate the transformational capacity of the LO idea comparing its ontology and epistemology with the perception of implementers so they ca...
A Framework for Building Learning Organizations
A Systemic Approach
The concept of the learning organization that strives continually to develop its people and processes will be an accepted philosophy of all competitive organizations in the future. Organizations are increasingly being challenged to leverage learning, as it has been widely articulated that knowledge creation and continuous learning at the individual, team, and organizational levels may be the only source of sustainable competitive advantage. Continuous learning is essential for surviving, let alone prospering, in dynamic and competitive environments. Because of this increased emphasis on learning, there has been a tremendous interest in the concept of learning organizations and the capabilities required to build learning organizations. Organizations of the future will not be able to expand into new markets and win market share unless they have a framework (technologies, people, processes, and methodologies) to use their past knowledge to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations of the 21 st century have to use the latest information technology and methodologies that can enable them to be cost effective, faster, flexible, and more competitive. Despite the growing interest in learning organizations, there are knowledge gaps in understanding about how to exploit technologies to create a suitable framework for learning organization. Our chapter A Framework for Building Learning Organizations 247 attempts to suggest a framework for building learning organizations and shows the use of systemic approach to implement our proposed framework to create learning organizations.