>There indeed can be and is individual learning without organization
>learning.
>
>Individuals learn about process results, the machines they use, the
>markets they sell in, all the time. Whether or not this is applied by the
>organization and used by the organization depends on the practices of the
>managers and the culture they cultivate.
>
>I see all too often understanding in one place and denial in another. The
>management that brings these together causes organizational learning.
>
>Eugene Taurman
Least we forget, my earlier suggestion was that we could gain a sharper
focus of organizational level learning by asking about the organizational
governance mechanisms which enable organizations to learn without the
corresponding learning of the individuals in the organization.
>From Nick Arnett's recent post:
"It is far from clear that 'each part of the organization doing what is
right for itself' is a bad thing. I think Stuart Kauffman, in "At Home In
the Universe" describes the idea of "patches" as a way for an organization
to adapt efficiently to a fitness landscape. Each group ("patch") does
what it sees as best for itself, while at the same time watching to see
what works for others. When a patch finds a good solution, it changes the
problem faced by neighbors..."
At the Patch level of the system:
Do individuals within each "Patch" have to learn in order for the "patch" to
learn?
How 'bout if the "patch" has selection mechanisms which change the
populations of individual within the patch?
Is what the "Patch" learned the same as that learned by the individuals
within the "Patch"?
Do the individuals in the "Patch" have to be aware of what the "Patch"
learned?
In this case, the Organizational level learning includes the learning among
the Patches.
--"Doug Merchant" <dougm@eclipse.net>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>