Purpose: This paper aims to propose a framework which connects perspectives on knowledge and learning to various approaches of social networks studies. The purpose is twofold: providing input for the discourse in organizational studies about the way different views on knowledge and networks drive design choices and activities of researchers,…

Purpose: Sustainability is, in itself, the idea of a harmonic answer to the dual nature of the most pressing problem for global society. Most of the problems dealing with sustainability concern its dual and contradictory nature. That paradoxical reality is in no way a unique feature of sustainability; its universal pervasiveness is demonstrated by…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how interruptions in organizational learning effect institutional absorptive capacity and contribute to organizational inertia. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory model is presented as a heuristic to describe how interruptions in organizational learning affect absorptive capacity.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Special Issue; to provide a practitioner's retrospective views of the learning organization concept; and to comment on the status of "The Learning Organization" journal. Design/methodology/approach: The approach adopted involves recounting a personal history of a practitioner's experiences…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the journal and organizational learning over the years. Design/methodology/approach: The approach adopted is that of providing a viewpoint perspective to look at the concept of the learning organization. Findings: By looking at organizational learning partly from the perspective of a publisher,…

Describes organizational learning as existing activities or processes of learning in organizations and the learning organization as an ideal form of organization. Further distinguishes the two concepts on the dimensions of amount of normativity, entities of learning, and location of knowledge. (Contains 56 references.) (SK)

A model of learning process stages (ignorance, awareness, understanding, commitment, enactment, reflection) was applied in workshops for organizational management teams. The workshops laid the foundation for a systematic approach to learning in organizations. (SK)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fundamental concepts and theoretical challenges with regard to systems, and to build on these in proposing new theoretical frameworks relevant to learning, for example in so-called learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on some crucial fundamental aspects introduced…

Discusses the role of information in knowledge creation; distinguishes between individual and organizational knowledge; addresses the importance of an organizational learning culture. Recommends that managers use self-managed teams, understand organizations as socially flexible systems, and analyze knowledge from multiple perspectives. (Contains…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that changes in social systems do not occur randomly. They are consistent with what has gone on before, with the history and identity of the system. As long as the organizing principles of a dominant culture remain unchallenged, behavior of all the social-units originating from this culture will remain…

Explores continuous improvement methods, which underlie total quality management, finding barriers to implementation in practice that are related to a one-dimensional approach. Suggests a multiple, unbounded learning cycle, a holistic approach that includes adaptive learning, learning styles, generative learning, and capability development.…

Four themes were identified in a conference of managers undertaking workplace learning programs: modeling learning processes in organizations, organizational readiness, teamwork and learning, and networked learning. An agenda for systemized organizational learning was developed. (SK)

Interviews with participants in research and development in a pharmaceutical company explored the use of organizational learning mechanisms to create knowledge. Results indicate that dynamic learning capability is embedded in and influenced by company culture, existing skills and competence, capacity for continuous change, and leadership.…

Reviews literature on knowledge management and organizational learning; highlights the significance of networks, alliances, and interorganizational relationships. Refines a model of organizational learning to account for different levels: individual, interdepartmental, team, organizational, and interorganizational learning. (Contains 62…

This article proposes that a major problem limiting an organization's ability to develop organizational learning capacity is of organizational amnesia. To understand organizational amnesia, it is necessary to look at the various ways that organizational learning is defined. Organizational learning is not merely the process of acquiring knowledge.…