Here is a useful video I found on YouTube that helps to clarify the concept of ‘the learning organisation’. It is an interview with Professors David Garvin and Amy Edmondson from the Harvard Business School. Worth watching for those still wondering what the subject area is all about.
Trying to differentiate the difference between the concepts of organisational learning and the learning organisation has at times proven to be quite a challenge for me when contemplating this subject area for my thesis. This, I believe, is due to the fact that there are a multitude of definitions and perspectives in the academic literature concerning both subjects. I however do not see these terms as synonyms and do not think that they can be used interchangeably. I see both concepts as being disctinct but interrelated. Though conscious of other definitions and interpretations of organisational learning, my working definition of organisational learning refers to the concept as ‘the divergent learning processes that can occur in the various levels of an organisation through the organisation’s infrastructural support.’ I agree with the views in the academic literature that perceive organisational learning to be some sort of activity or process. Though I require to undertake further research regarding the notion of the learning organisation, I also share the opinion that the learning organisation is a particular type of organisation that organisations attempt to evolve into through the process of organisational learning. However, as my research progresses, my opinions may change…
Gavin Baxter