Learning Organizations

A small number of researchers have long been interested in organizational learning. Scholars sought to understand how organizations learn behaviorally over time from experience (March and Olsen 1975) and showed how cultures are created and maintained that prevent learning (Argyris and Schön 1978, 1996). They described organizations as having a collective memory, and looked at ways in which information was acquired, stored, retrieved, and managed (Huber 1991). But it is only in the last decade that interest in organizational learning has grown exponentially. Businesses and individuals are seeking ways to cultivate learning proactively as they make the transition to a knowledgeintensive era. This chapter explores the idea of a learning organization and the dynamics of collective learning within and across work units. It also describes ways in which adult educators can facilitate such learning for the system as a whole, and for individuals within the system.