ABSTRACT
Following the discussion of the historical and conceptual foundations that underpin organisational learning, this chapter considers the theoretical and practical perspectives associated with developing some form of receptivity to the approach. It discusses contemporary organising principles that are founded on understanding and managing the complex nature of environmental change in order to ensure competitive advantage and future survival, exploring how learning can promote or inhibit the process. An analysis of learning as individual, group and organisational activities is then undertaken, identifying potential levels of learning and their implications for the development of people and their subsequent contribution to the organisation. The discussion then considers the barriers to learning that confront people within traditional organisational arrangements, preventing them from challenging existing norms and promoting learning and change. The chapter concludes with an exploration of practical approaches that involve fundamental changes to work organisation that are likely to offer contexts in which people may be receptive to engaging in the processes of double-loop learning and change.
