Taking the learning organization mainstream and beyond the organizational level

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Reese
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peter Senge ◽  
Personal Mastery ◽  
Five Disciplines

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspective of Dr Peter Senge and presents an interesting evolution of his systems oriented view of the learning organization field over three decades. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with a thought leading scholar, Dr Peter Senge, this paper discusses several topics pertaining to the evolution of the learning organization through a systems approach and provides his perspectives on the development of his theories. Findings Dr Senge explains his origination of the learning organization from three distinctly different theoretical tracks. However, more important than the theory, he illuminates how the theories embedded within The Fifth Discipline actually originated from action research and have continued to evolve. Of particular interest, his sites personal mastery as the most often cited of the five disciplines and offers readers explanations as to why the personal change dimensions are so important, and so often neglected. He clearly describes what it takes to make genuine progress in becoming a learning organization. Originality/value The discussion with Dr Senge reveals his perspective on the evolution of the learning organization debate from his personal perspective. He provides insights that lead the reader to understand “what is a learning organization” and “what does it mean”.

A spiritual perspective on Senge’s five disciplines: harmony and Alibaba

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 521-533
Author(s):  
Carry Mak ◽  
Robin Stanley Snell ◽  
Jacky Hong
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Mastery ◽  
Five Disciplines ◽  
Senge's Five Disciplines ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate Peter Senge’s ideas from the perspective of the spiritual ideal of harmony/He (和). Design/methodology/approach Following a literature review of the conceptualization of Senge’s fifth discipline and harmony, an appreciative case study of Alibaba is adopted to demonstrate the role of harmony in guiding the transformative application of the five disciplines of the learning organization. Findings In developing as a learning organization, Alibaba is portrayed as having embraced three levels of harmony: person-within-oneself, person-to-others and person-to-nature harmony. The authors identify three equivalencies between Senge’s disciplines and the traditional Chinese ideal of harmony. First, personal mastery and metal models correspond to developing person-within-oneself harmony. Second, team learning and shared vision entail developing person-to-others harmony. Third, systems thinking aligns with person-to-nature harmony. Practical implications The case study demonstrates various approaches that can be used to foster the development of person-within-oneself, person-to-others and person-to-nature harmony within an aspiring learning organization. Originality/value This paper shows how core values of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, distilled into the Chinese ideal of harmony, can encourage the cultivation of learning organizations.

The influence of Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline on an academic career: a research journey into the learning organization and some personal reflections

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 513-520
Author(s):  
Swee Chua Goh
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Personal Reflection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peter Senge ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Personal Reflections

Purpose In this paper, the author explores his research journey into the learning organization and its impact on his academic career. This paper describes how Peter Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization (1990) was the spark that led to the author’s focus on empirical research in the field. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides author’s personal reflections on how this decision put him on a path to a variety of serendipitous experiences, exciting research areas and also enabled him to engage in productive collaborative research with many of his colleagues. Findings The findings conclude with a discussion on what the author see as new challenges and perspectives for advancing research into the learning organization. Originality/value This paper provides a unique perspective on how The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge has influenced an academic career. It presents a personal reflection of a research journey into the learning organization that spans over 30 years.

scholarly journals Interrogating silent privileges across the work–life boundaries and careers of high-intensity knowledge professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-522
Author(s):  
Charlotta Niemistö ◽  
Jeff Hearn ◽  
Mira Karjalainen ◽  
Annamari Tuori
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Organization Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Levels

PurposePrivilege is often silent, invisible and not made explicit, and silence is a key question for theorizing on organizations. This paper examines interrelations between privilege and silence for relatively privileged professionals in high-intensity knowledge businesses (KIBs).Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on 112 interviews in two rounds of interviews using the collaborative interactive action research method. The analysis focuses on processes of recruitment, careers and negotiation of boundaries between work and nonwork in these KIBs. The authors study how relative privilege within social inequalities connects with silences in multiple ways, and how the invisibility of privilege operates at different levels: individual identities and interpersonal actions of privilege (micro), as organizational level phenomena (meso) or as societally constructed (macro).FindingsAt each level, privilege is reproduced in part through silence. The authors also examine how processes connecting silence, privilege and social inequalities operate differently in relation to both disadvantage and the disadvantaged, and privilege and the privileged.Originality/valueThis study is relevant for organization studies, especially in the kinds of “multi-privileged” contexts where inequalities, disadvantages and subordination may remain hidden and silenced, and, thus, are continuously reproduced.

scholarly journals Digitalization in practice: the fifth discipline advantage

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siu Loon Hoe
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
The Other ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Digital Ecosystems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Mastery ◽  
Five Disciplines

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide advice to organizations on how to become successful in the digital age. The paper revisits Peter Senge’s (1990) notion of the learning organization and discusses the relevance of systems thinking and the other four disciplines, namely, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning in the context of the current digitalization megatrend. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on content analysis of essays from international organizations, strategy experts and management scholars, and insights gained from the author’s consulting experience. A comparative case study from the health and social sector is also included. Findings With the current digitalization megatrend sweeping across the globe, the practice of systems thinking would certainly become more crucial for organizations seeking to develop new digital ecosystems. In addition, the application of the other four disciplines of the learning organization would also help to nurture a digital culture for organizations to stay ahead of the competition. Practical implications Organizations and digitalization practitioners could benefit from applying systems thinking to develop digital ecosystems, and the other four disciples to nurture a digital culture. Originality/value This paper contributes to the existing literature by offering a relook and justifications on the relevance of the five disciplines, in particular systems thinking, in the present times. It offers advice to organizations on how to become successful as part of the digital transformation journey.

Learning organization thought leaders interview series

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon R. Reese ◽  
Yusuf Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Original Publication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peter Senge ◽  
Development And Evolution ◽  
Organization Evolution ◽  
Thought Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the learnings from prior interviews with thought leaders in learning organization conceptual development. Prior interviews with Karen Watkins, Victoria Marsick, Michael Marquardt, Bob Garratt and Peter Senge are included in the summary, which is an interim step as The Learning Organization continues to explore the learning organization history and evolution. Design/methodology/approach The paper summarizes prior interviews to uncover commonalities and differences in the development and evolution of the learning organization concepts as described by thought leaders. Findings Both commonalities and differences exist in definition, development of theory and resilience since original publication. Common threads in concept develop appear across the authors mainly in influences by Revans, Argyris and Schön. Differences also exist in how each author developed learning organization constructs. Originality/value The synthesis reveals that although the learning organization may have differing definitions, there are commonalities that tie some concepts together. Additional interviews will be continued in the exploration of the learning organization evolution.

Concurrent and sustainable development of a local-scale digital heritage inventory through action research at Bat, Oman

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-212
Author(s):  
Yasuhisa Kondo ◽  
Takehiro Miki ◽  
Taichi Kuronuma ◽  
Yuichi S. Hayakawa ◽  
Kyoko Kataoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Network Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Heritage ◽  
Local Agent

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a concurrent implementation of sustainable inventory for the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn in the interior of Oman. Design/methodology/approach – A digital heritage inventory (DHI) was developed through an action research to realize demands of the local agent and to co-design the solution. The Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Oman, the local agent, demanded to have archaeological information of the sites shared with foreign expeditions, which had worked at the sites for decades, for efficient heritage management, scientific research, outreach, and education. To this end, the Bat Digital Heritage Inventory (BatDHI) was implemented by a combination of network-access-ready database application, open source geographical information systems, and a web-based map service to incorporate and visualize previous works, which were concurrently cross-checked and updated by ground-truth surveys. Findings – The online inventory made it possible to update information during archaeological fieldwork in real time and accelerated the decision-making process in heritage management by prompt data updates and visualization. Research limitations/implications – The DHI is extendable for other sites or regions. It should also be considered to install Arches, an open-source suite of digital heritage inventories. Practical implications – The BatDHI was implemented through the action research mentioned in the design/methodology/approach section and yielded the implications mentioned in the findings section. Originality/value – This paper is a challenging application of transdisciplinary approach to the sustainable heritage management, in which researchers and societal stakeholders collaborate for co-design of research agendas, co-production of knowledge, and co-dissemination of outcomes.

Wroe Alderson, IMP and the evolution of theory

IMP Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars-Erik Gadde ◽  
Kajsa Hulthén
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Theoretical Structure ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
Scientific Fields

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how theories evolve within scientific fields: why they receive attention and why they eventually become less attractive. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review and focusses on the theoretical structure developed by Wroe Alderson. His contributions were highly appreciated and generally considered as “the” marketing theory. However, in few years his broad perspective was more or less neglected within the field where it was developed. At the same time, Alderson’s basic thinking was adopted by the evolving IMP approach. The specific objective of the study is to analyse why researchers in marketing abandoned Alderson, while IMP adopted many of his ideas. Findings The paper illustrates significant aspects of the evolution of theories. First, the paper shows how well-established conceptualisations, like Alderson’s total systems approach, may lose impact when the focus of research shifts. Alderson’s holistic framing was found too broad and all-encompassing to be useful when research attention was directed to specific aspects of marketing management and the socio-behavioural approach to distribution. Second, the paper shows in what respect IMP found support in concepts and models presented by Alderson in the challenging of fragmented mainstream framings of the business landscape. Originality/value This paper relates the rise and fall of Alderson’s concepts and frameworks to the evolution of theories of other schools-of-thought. Furthermore, the study shows how Alderson’s ideas were adapted to other research fields than where it was originally developed.

Using action research in innovation project management: building legitimacy and organizational learning in an SME during a merger process

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Elizabeth Kampf ◽  
Charlotte J. Brandt ◽  
Christopher G. Kampf
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Project

PurposeThe purpose is to explore how the process of action research (AR) can support building legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation project management and portfolio practices in merger contexts.Design/methodology/approachMeta-reflection on method issues in Action Research through an action research case study with an innovation group during an organizational change process. This case demonstrates an example of an action research cycle focused on building practitioner legitimacy rather than problem-solving.FindingsKey findings include (1) demonstrating how AR can be used for building legitimacy through visualizing the innovation process, and embedding those visuals in top management practices of the organization; and (2) demonstrating how AR can work as an organizational learning tool in merger contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on an action research cooperation during a two-and-a-half-year period. Thus, findings offer the depth of a medium term case study. The processes of building legitimacy represent this particular case, and can be investigated in other organizational contexts to see the extent to which these issues can be generalized.Practical implicationsFor researchers, this paper offers an additional type of AR cycle to consider in their research design which can be seen as demonstrating a form of interplay between practitioner action and organizational level legitimacy. For practitioners, this paper demonstrates a connection between legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation contexts. The discussion of how visuals were co-created and used for building legitimacy for an innovation process that differs from the standard stage gate model demonstrates how engaging in AR research can contribute to developing visuals as resources for building legitimacy and organizational learning based on connections between theory and practice.Originality/valueThis case rethinks AR practice for innovation project management contexts to include legitimacy and organizational learning. This focus on legitimacy building from organizational learning and knowledge conversion contributes to our understanding of the soft side of innovation project management. Legitimacy is demonstrated to be a key concern for innovation project management practices.

scholarly journals Down to earth: Gaia storytelling and the learning organization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Mølbjerg Jørgensen ◽  
Anete Mikkala Camille Strand ◽  
Julia Hayden ◽  
Mogens Sparre ◽  
Jens Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Beginning ◽  
Shape Learning ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In accordance with Latour, this paper aims to respond to the call for a “down-to-earth” post-learning organization approach to sustainability, which is critical of Senge’s conception of learning organization (LO). Design/methodology/approach “Gaia storytelling” is used to define a LO that is “down to earth.” Findings Gaia is understood through the notion of a critical zone, which foregrounds the local and differentiated terrestrial conditions in which life on Earth is embedded. Practical implications Gaia storytelling implies perceiving LO as a network of storytelling practices enacted and told by unique creative citizens. Such an organization sustains and grows through several entangled storytelling cycles that allow Gaia to shape learning. Social implications The article distinguishes five different storytelling cycles as a way to explore how the Gaia theater cycle connects to other cycles. The four other cycles are called Gaia thinking, explorative, creative and Gaia truth-telling. Originality/value A Gaian LO is a new beginning for LO.

scholarly journals Participatory action and dual lens research

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Robertson ◽  
Jason Barrow ◽  
Magdalena Wajrak ◽  
Noel Nannup ◽  
Caroline Bishop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Aboriginal Populations ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Renaissance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea that, in the last few decades, collaborative inquiry methods have evolved along a similar trajectory to dual lens research. Dual lens research, known in various contexts as both ways, two-eyed seeing Old Ways New Ways, and Koodjal Jinnung (looking both ways), is designed to generate new knowledge by exploring a theme through Aboriginal and contemporary western lenses. Participatory action research and a dual lens approach are considered in a number of projects with a particular focus on the issues such work can raise including conceptual challenges posed by fundamental differences between knowledge sets. Design/methodology/approach The authors hypothesize that a dual lens approach will become a branch of participatory action research, as such, a robust description needs to be developed and its ethical implications are considered. Existing work in this direction, including principles and processes, are collated and discussed. Findings Dual lens research as a branch of participatory action research is of great significance in countries with Aboriginal populations that are undergoing a cultural renaissance. As dual lens practitioners, the authors are finding their research outputs have a high positive impact on both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations and make a genuine contribution to reconciliation by finding ways of going forward together. Originality/value This paper joins a growing body of research that supports resonances between Aboriginal and “western” research methods.

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