Organizational learning: what have we learned so far?

Abstract

Organizational Learning represents one of the most hopeful and yet nebulous areas of human resource management literature. The term itself is used to represent a variety of meanings, and no one definition of organizational learning has been adopted by OL theorists. After over 25 years of attention by management gurus and the academic community, definitions remain unclear, evaluation remains problematic, and success stories are few and far between. This paper provides a review of the OL literature including some of the debate around the potential for Organizational Learning as an effective management practice. In conclusion the author suggests that before OL initiatives can transform organizations into empowered workplaces, there must be a more complete analysis of the context in which learning happens. This includes a discussion of the issues of power and empowerment within organizations, the diversity of employee experiences that inform their learning, and the role of gender in power and learning within organizations.