ABSTRACT
Learning is ‘sense making’: it is the process that leads to knowledge. Thurber once said, ‘In times of change learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned are beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists’. Organizational learning requires learning rather than being learned. A formula borrowed from ecology states that in order for an organism to survive, its rate of learning must be equal to or greater than the rate of change in its environment. The purpose of the organizational learning cycle is the continuous transformation of the organization. The learning processes that are useful in furthering continuous transformation are considerably different from those needed to create a specific change. Organizational learning, can lead to the continuous transformation of an organization and its environment. Learning creates equals, not subordinates, and thus work is increasingly conceived as a team effort. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
