I was asked:
>I am a student in the University of (doesn't matter). I found your site
>while I was searching for the meaning of "Organizational Learning".
>I have an assignment based on "What is Organizational learning" and
>why organizations fail to become a "Learning Organization"
>I would like to ask you, if there is a difference between the
>meanings of "Organizational Learning", and "Learning
>Organizations".
--- I replied... ---
Most people would use the words interchangably.
More precisely, "The Learning Organization" is an ideal, a vision, a term
introduced by Senge in 1990.
Organizational Learning on the other hand is a practical term. It means
just what the English words indicate: learning in an organizational
context.
When we approach a situation from an organizational learning point of
view, that means we would employ the tools of this field (emphasis on
building capacity rather than on selection of individuals with a skill,
emphasis on internal motivations, helping each person become more clear
about what they want, shared visioning, personal refelction, group
reflection, and systems thinking).
A narrowly focused "training" initiative would violate several of the
element of the organizational learning approach. In precise speech, we
would not call it an "organizational learning" initiative.
--- end of my reply ---
Does anyone here on LO have anything to add?
-=- Rick
--Richard Karash ("Rick") | <http://world.std.com/~rkarash> Speaker, Facilitator, Trainer | mailto:Richard@Karash.com "Towards learning organizations" | Host for Learning-Org Discussion (617)227-0106, fax (617)523-3839 | <http://www.learning-org.com>
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