Workplace learning from the organizational point of view

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is on workplace learning from the organizational point of view. The chapter reviews multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research literature on learning organization starting from the seminal works by Argyris and Schön, and Senge, and continuing with the studies of the development of measuring characteristics of learning organization by Marsick and Watkins. The relationship between individual and organizational learning is discussed. Also concepts other than learning organization have been used in research studies in order to describe learning taking place in organizations. The concepts such as knowledge creation, expansive learning and innovative knowledge communities are examined. Finally, the emerging ecological approach and the concept of ecosystems from the learning organization perspective is discussed. The review shows that in all of the main lines of research in the field, individual- and organization-level learning are seen to be highly interdependent and indivisible. Chronologically, we can see movement from intra-organizational examination toward inter-organizational and networked learning, and very recently toward the concept of ecosystem. Altogether, the theories of organizational level learning discussed in this chapter provide different perspectives and diverse conceptual tools to understand learning that goes beyond individual cognitive activity. It is expected that, in the future, research on learning organizations will continue to be relevant and further enriched by other concepts and models such as those presented in this chapter. The direction of the research seems to extend from intra-organizational studies toward research on wider networks or ecosystems of organizations and the interconnections between them.