The Learning Organization Diamond Tool was designed for holistic analysis of 10 learning organization elements at the individual and organizational levels. A test in 25 Finnish organizations established validity. Comparison with existing tools showed that differences derive from their different purposes. (Contains 33 references.) (SK)

Examines implications of the networked economy for e-commerce business start-ups. Revisits the notion of "value" and "value creation" in a network context. Examines "value" relative to technological innovation. Looks at implications of the network environment for the organization and transformation of the enterprise's…

Organizations that rely heavily on a flexible work force will lose the ability to attract and retain skilled workers with idiosyncratic knowledge. There is an interdependent relationship between the quality of employee relations and the capacity to use the idiosyncratic knowledge of a work force. (Contains 61 references.) (SK)

Focusing on Irish high-tech start-ups, this paper reports on the results of an empirical study of organization building by entrepreneurial firms, specifically in relation to human resource practices. The research findings are benchmarked with findings from SPEC, the Stanford Project of Emerging Companies (Baron and Hannan, 2002). Human resources…

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.…

Purpose: Establishes a connection between the concepts of "learning organisation" and "human resources development". Design/methodology/approach: A brief and broad overview of the current state of human research development research. Findings: One conclusion to be reached is that the subject is healthy. Another conclusion is that human resource…

Purpose: The article seeks to conceptualize learning in practice from a theories of practice view. This paradigmatic shift allows one to overcome problem areas related to traditional conceptions of learning such as the difficulty of knowledge transfer, and related to many situated learning models that neglect the aspect of reification of practice.…

This essay highlights three converging trends experienced by "public sector research" during the past decade. Looking especially at France, our discussion draws attention to the new roles of universities, the blurring of relationships between types of research institutions and research activities, and the development of "research…

Planning and tending a garden can be a great deal of fun. The opportunity to act as creator can be very appealing. However, anyone who has gardened for long has learned the necessity of accommodating nature and has developed a sense of humility in the process. Growing a center takes time, skill, and patience. In this article, the author presents…

The purpose of this research activity is to understand further how large and small registered training organisations (RTOs) make decisions about the allocation of resources for developing their workforces. Six registered training organisations--four technical and further education (TAFE) institutes and two private providers--were selected for…

This paper focuses on the relationship between participation in communities of practice (CoP) and outcomes of organizational socialization (learning and adjustment) early in the career. Results from responses of employees in a Korean IT company show that participation in CoP is more strongly related to adjustment (job satisfaction, organizational…

Purpose: The study is a two-stage inquiry into the influence of high school principals and department chairpersons on the nature of science and mathematics teachers' community of practice participation. Of particular interest is the extent to which formal leaders influence the formation of productive communities of practice and the extent to which…

The authors present an approach for educating future evaluators by connecting evaluation theory and practice, organizational development, and grant making through experiential learning. They position this discussion on the conceptual framework of a newly developed graduate-level evaluation course, Advanced Program Development and Evaluation, which…

This article aims to provide a broad understanding of the role of union learning representatives (ULRs) and the contribution of union education and learning initiatives. It examines the scope for union learning to be distinctive and sustainable, and it does this by summarising and building upon a holistic review of research of ULR activity across…

The present report is a product of two ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) seminars, held in 2007, on current trends in European Quality Assurance. The first seminar, hosted by the Bulgarian National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), examined the situation in South-Eastern Europe. The second seminar…