Purpose: It has recently been suggested that the learning organisation (LO) is dead (Pedler, 2013). The authors make the case here that it is still alive. This paper provides a brief history of LO and organisational learning, follows this with some survey findings, a discussion and an exploration of some related contemporary issues and concludes…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the future prospects of the popular concept known as the learning organization; to trace the influence of philosophical pragmatism on the learning organization and to consider its potential impact on the future; and to emphasize how pragmatic theories have shaped the development of Deming's total…

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.…

Five Australian companies using total quality management (TQM) were evaluated to identify the relationship between learning organization characteristics and Baldrige quality award criteria. Companies' sustained commitment to learning was the most important practice underlying successful implementation of TQM. (Contains 37 references.) (SK)

Case studies of five New Zealand organizations adopting learning organization initiatives highlight crucial limitations of the debate over skill needs in the contemporary workplace. Findings reveal a new paradigm of critical organizational characteristics and job skills needed in this uncertain environment. (SK)