Nancy Dixon: empowering the learning organization through psychological safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-266
Author(s):  
Yusuf Sidani ◽  
Simon Reese
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Speak Up

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspective of Nancy Dixon, who has been at the forefront of the learning organization discussion since the 1980s. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with Dixon, and a scan of some of her works, this paper discusses several topics pertaining to the evolution of the learning organization debate, from Dixon’s perspective. Findings Dixon’s understanding of learning organizations was influenced by concepts related to action learning where people in organizations learn through meeting and talking about their problems. What distinguishes her understanding from others in that it is built more on the perspective of psychological safety, as inspired by Amy Edmonson's work. Originality/value Dixon acknowledges that her work has had more impact on the practitioner side. Dixon maintains that learning organizations are more egalitarian and move away from hierarchy. There are ethical underpinnings to this understanding as, with psychological safety, people are willing to speak up in those situations when their voices are needed to be heard.

Schools as learning organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1115
Author(s):  
Laurie Field
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
The Political ◽  
Educational Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the desirability and attainability of schools becoming learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a critical analysis based on a wide-ranging review of the “schools as learning organizations” literature. Findings The notion of learning organization applied to schools is fundamentally flawed. Most notably, schools as learning organizations are conceptualized in so many different ways that it is possible to claim almost anything; the political aspects of shared learning are inadequately handled; and poor quality scholarship is commonplace. Practical implications There are repeated claims in the educational improvement literature that that there are significant benefits for schools that become learning organizations and, as a result, school leaders should steer schools in this direction. However, this paper critically challenges these claims, concluding instead that schools and their leaders should ignore calls to become learning organizations. Originality/value Many scholars, together with agencies such as the OECD, have suggested that, for schools, the learning organization is both a desirable goal and an achievable endpoint. The value of this paper is that, for the first time, these claims are subjected to a comprehensive critical review, revealing them to be hollow rhetoric rather than attainable reality.

In between smorgasbord and table d’hôte: à la carte learning organization

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Örtenblad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
A La Carte

Purpose – To suggest how the idea of the learning organization can be adapted to fit organizations in different contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on many years of work on the idea of the learning organization and how it can be made to fit in different contexts. Findings – Any organization that has an interest in becoming (or continuing to be) a learning organization is recommended to critically examine the relevance of each and every element of the idea of the learning organization, and thereafter construct a model of the learning organization that fits the particular organization. Practical implications – Organizations that aim to become (or continue to be) learning organizations are offered some concrete advice as to how to examine the relevance for their particular organization of the elements that the idea of the learning organization consists of. Originality/value – In contrast to all those who claim that the idea of the learning organization is relevant as is, without first going through any changes, to all organizations, this paper suggests that not all elements of the idea are relevant to all organizations. In contrast to those who merely suggest that each organization needs to find and adopt its own version of the learning organization, this paper offers concrete insights as to how such a process of customization actually can be conducted.

The learning organization: the time is ripe for starting to certify the idea

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Örtenblad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Single Industry ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose To convince readers that the time is ripe to start certifying the learning organization and to outline what would be needed to accomplish such a certification. Design/methodology/approach This is an argumentative piece based on the author’s almost 30 years of experience from researching and authoring the learning organization. Findings It is argued that the idea of the learning organization is still “fluffy” and that it is not universally applicable as is. It is suggested that a broad, inclusive definition of the learning organization is taken as the starting point for the process of contextualizing the idea to reach a set of “contextualized standards”, which could be used when certifying the learning organization. Research limitations/implications Researchers are encouraged – in cooperation with practitioners – to sculpture one “contextualized standard” of the learning organization for each single industry. Such contextualized standards outline what, exactly, that could be demanded from organizations within the particular industry that want to become learning organizations. Practical implications There is a need for one – or some – non-profit association/s that could start to certify the learning organization on the basis of a set of contextualized standards. There may also be a need for consultants assisting organizations to transform themselves into learning organizations in accordance with these contextualized standards. Originality/value This is the first time (at least in writing) that it is suggested that the learning organization is certified.

Introduction to special issue

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-9
Author(s):  
Patrice M. Buzzanell
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Discovery Learning ◽  
Feminist Critique ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender

Purpose This paper aims to first introduce the four contributions to the themed issue of The Learning Organization entitled “Learning Organization/Organizational Learning and Gender Issues”. Second, the commonalities among these articles function as themes that can generate further research and engaged or problem-driven scholarship and practice. Design/methodology/approach Feminist critique. Findings These articles challenge commonsense, blur boundaries between reality and imagined visions and form a multilevel matrix for understanding and change regarding gendered learning organizations. Originality/value As an introduction to a special issue, this essay summarizes and extends on the four contributions and then extends the insights to encourage discovery, learning and engagement.

How the concept of organizational unlearning contributes to studies of learning organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric W.K. Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
International Joint Ventures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Joint ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
Harsh Critique

Purpose The first purpose of this short essay is to respond to Howells and Scholderer’s (2016) harsh critique that organizational unlearning is a superfluous concept. The second purpose is to establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization. Design/methodology/approach To respond to Howells and Scholderer’s critique, the author carefully examines their arguments – focusing on their comments on the author’s previous publications – and checks whether the arguments are logical and coherent. To establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization, the author draws on his own research of international joint ventures in China. Findings Howells and Scholderer seriously miscited the ideas in one of the author’s publications, and their main arguments are blatantly flawed. Moreover, they are unaware that many of the faults they find in the organizational unlearning literature are also present in the organizational learning literature. As to the second part of this essay, the study of the acquisition type of joint ventures clearly indicates the presence of organizational unlearning. Moreover, for such ventures to be learning organizations, the unlearning step has to be well managed. Research limitations/implications As mentioned, the author’s response to Howells and Scholderer’s critique focuses on their comments on the author’s publications. It is highly likely that they have made other erroneous arguments that this essay fails to capture. The author’s discussion of unlearning and learning organizations is constrained by the context of acquisition joint ventures. Originality/value This essay forcefully rebuts Howells and Scholderer’s critique, which can become an obstacle in the development of organizational unlearning research. The dynamics of knowledge transfer in acquisition joint ventures suggest that skills of unlearning, and not just learning, are essential to reaching the goal of being a learning organization.

How chief learning officers build learning organizations

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica D. Haight ◽  
Michael J. Marquardt
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Leadership And Change

Purpose This study aims to identify how and why chief learning officers (CLOs) build the learning organization. The study was undertaken in the conceptual framework of leadership and change by using the lens of the Marquardt Systems Model. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study used semi-structured interviews with 20 participants. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the themes and subthemes associated with how CLOs define and build the learning organization, as well as the activities and strategies they use to build a learning organization. Findings Four major conclusions were drawn from the study: CLOs collaborate and encourage others to collaborate both within and outside of the organization; they assess and measure learning and development programs consistently; they seek and secure funding and resources; and they have a vision for the learning organization and realize that vision through strategy development and implementation. Originality/value This study is the first to provide comprehensive research on how CLOs build learning organizations, as well as the first to analyze this role using the Marquardt Systems Model.

Conceptualization and challenges: examining district and school leadership and schools as learning organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Welsh ◽  
Sheneka Williams ◽  
Karen Bryant ◽  
Jami Berry
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Conceptualizing schools as learning organizations provides a potential avenue to meet the pressing challenges of school improvement in the USA. District and school leaders play an important role in creating and sustaining the conditions for a learning organization, yet little is known about how leadership responds to learning-resistant contexts in their mission to improve schools. This study aims to examine the relationship between the district and school leadership and schools as learning organizations. The focus is on the conceptualization of schools as learning organizations and the challenges involved in creating and sustaining conditions and processes in which to improve schools. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses semi-structured interviews with district and school leaders in the state of Georgia and data from completed dimensions of a learning organization questionnaire (DLOQ) study to analyze how district and school leaders conceptualize or make sense of schools as learning organizations and overcome challenges associated with creating and sustaining a learning organization in learning resistant contexts. Findings The analyzes find that participants perceive their school or district as a learning organization when the structure allows others to work together to learn and grow for the benefit of students. Originality/value This study is unique in that it adds to a growing number of studies that examine schools as learning organizations using the DLOQ and sheds light on the nature of learning resistant contexts.

What does “learning organization” mean?

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Örtenblad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Contextual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contingency Model ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose The paper aims to offer an overview of the definition of the concept of learning organization to be used, related to and taken as a starting point for further conceptual developments by others writing about and using the learning organization concept. An additional purpose is to suggest how the concept of learning organization could be demarcated to define what would be demanded from any particular organization to be counted as a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. To define the learning organization, a label-focused approach and a content-focused approach are used. A contextual approach is suggested as the most appropriate tool for demarcating the concept of learning organization. Findings It is suggested that there are four versions of learning organization, which can all be related to three different forms of organizational aspects. Furthermore, a contextual approach is suggested to demarcate how to define learning organization to develop a much-needed contingency model, which places reasonable demands on organizations in various contexts to qualify them as learning organizations. Originality/value An overview definition, which anybody writing about the learning organization could relate to, is presented. It is also discussed what a learning organization is not, something which only few others have done, and a contextual approach to demarcating the learning organization concept is suggested.

Developing organizations: a system of enquiry, action and learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14
Author(s):  
Wayne Graham
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Practitioners ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to demonstrate the applicability of an action learning model to improve organizational outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This paper extends previous work by applying the system of enquiry, action and learning (SEAL) model using an action research methodology to a small business operating in the health services industry. Findings The SEAL model is a useful approach to introduce small business practitioners to the principles of organizational development (OD). Research limitations/implications The application is limited to one small business, and subsequent studies could apply the model to more organizations that operate in industries other than health services. Practical implications Business owners from this study and previous studies have found the model to be useful in the improvement of organizational outcomes. Originality/value The SEAL model is a simplified model that introduces principles of OD and has provided value to the business owners of this study.

Increasing the impact of management development programs

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Management Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overall Effectiveness

Purpose Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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