ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how and to what consequence the processes of organizational learning, specifically those associated with improving patient safety, are imbued or characterized by dynamics of organizational power and politics. It looks at the micro-sociology world of learning, acknowledging that learning is inherently embedded within a given social, cultural and political context, encompassing specific social interactions and roles, and involving the promulgation of particular values, norms and ideologies. The chapter overviews the forms of organizational learning being developed and implemented within health care systems around the world, including Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the UK and the USA. It argues that the broad approach reflects the models of learning and risk regulation found in other industries and economic sectors, most notably aviation and petrochemicals. The chapter draws upon the findings of an ethnographic study of the introduction of the National Reporting and Learning System within two National Health Service hospitals undertaken between 2000 and 2005.
