What is a Learning Organisation?
It is
difficult to find a single definition of a "Learning Organisation" that all the
industry gurus can agree to.
Starting
with ECLO's working definition.
"A Learning Organisation places
high value on individual and organisational learning as a prime asset. It is
working towards full utilisation of al individual and group potential for
learning and adapting in the interests of meeting organisational objectives. It
does this in a way that also satisfies the needs and aspirations of the people
involved. Inhibitors or blocks to learning are being identified and removed and
strong enhancers and structural support for sustained continuous learning are
being put in place. A climate of continuous learning and improvement is being
created."
Below you will find some of the definitions
provided by many of the leading authors in this domain.
-
"Learning Organisations are
organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the
results they truly desire; where new and expansive patterns of thinking are
nurtured; where collective aspirations are set free and where people are
continually learning how to learn together" - Peter Senge (1990)
-
"A Learning Company is an
organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and
continuously transforms itself" - Mike Pedlar, Tom Boydell, John Burgoyne
(1988)
-
"Learning Organisations
experiment more, encourage more tries, permit small failures, encourage
internal competition, maintain a rich formal environment heavily laden with
information which spurs diffusion of ideas at work" - Tom Peeters
-
"Organisational Learning is
a process in which members of an organisation detect errors or anomalies and
correct it by restructuring organisational theory of action, embedding the
results of their enquiry in organisational maps and images" - Chris Argyris
-
"The Learning Organisation
can mean two things : it can mean an organisation which learns and / or
organisation which encourages learning in its people. It should mean both" -
Charles Handy (1989)
-
"A Learning Organisation is
an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge
and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights" -
David Garvin
-
"A Learning Organisation
places high value on individual and organisational learning as a prime
asset. It is working towards full utilisation of all individual and group
potentials for learning and adapting in the interests of meeting
organisational objectives. It does this in a way that also satisfies the
needs and aspirations of the people involved. A climate of continuous
learning and improvement is being created" - Pearn-Kandola
What is a Learning Organisation?
"Learning Organisations are organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire; where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured; where collective aspirations are set free and where people are continually learning how to learn together" - Peter Senge (1990)
"A Learning Company is an organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself" - Mike Pedlar, Tom Boydell, John Burgoyne (1988)
"Learning Organisations experiment more, encourage more tries, permit small failures, encourage internal competition, maintain a rich formal environment heavily laden with information which spurs diffusion of ideas at work" - Tom Peeters
"Organisational Learning is a process in which members of an organisation detect errors or anomalies and correct it by restructuring organisational theory of action, embedding the results of their enquiry in organisational maps and images" - Chris Argyris
"The Learning Organisation can mean two things : it can mean an organisation which learns and / or organisation which encourages learning in its people. It should mean both" - Charles Handy (1989)
"A Learning Organisation is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights" - David Garvin
"A Learning Organisation places high value on individual and organisational learning as a prime asset. It is working towards full utilisation of all individual and group potentials for learning and adapting in the interests of meeting organisational objectives. It does this in a way that also satisfies the needs and aspirations of the people involved. A climate of continuous learning and improvement is being created" - Pearn-Kandola