The rainmaker effect: Contradictions of the learning organisation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on organisational cultural change and problems in its implementation, focussing on the case of building a learning organisation (LO) within university library context. Design/methodology/approach – Key literature published within Library and Information Science, Business and Management and other related fields were reviewed to identify themes regarding organisational cultural change in relation to development of an LO emerging in the recent years. Findings – Reviewed literature in this paper highlights key challenges in examining organisational cultural change for the purpose of building an LO. These include a lack of an agreed definition of the LO concept, practical approaches and measure for assessing achievement of the cultural change. A need for in-depth studies which focus on current practices and related problems in this regard is also revealed, and the systems approach is proposed as a suitable approach for holistic investigation of all critical elements that possibly affect establishment of an LO. Originality/value – The paper raises awareness of the importance of examining organisational cultural change as a critical supportive influence of developing an LO. Problems to be considered in its implementation are synthesised and served as a basis for further investigation in the author’s doctoral research project.

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Being a Learning Organisation: Humberside Training and Enteerprise Council, UK

Gifted Education International ◽

10.1177/026142940502000304 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 285-292

Author(s):

Peter Fryer

Keyword(s):

Complex Adaptive Systems ◽

Adaptive Systems ◽

Learning Organisation ◽

Complex Adaptive ◽

Clear Idea

This article is not written from a scientific or academic perspective, but as more of a story — of how we developed Humberside Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) into a learning organisation using the concepts of complex adaptive systems. A word of caution: no matter how many times I tell this story and no matter how many caveats I put on it, it always sounds as though we knew where we were going and that we had some grand plan for becoming a learning organisation. But we didn't, and for those of you who have experienced complexity you will know that we couldn't have, because complexity just doesn't work that way. So please read this as a journey with success and failures, great surges ahead, blind alleys and steps back, and no clear idea of where we were going.

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