Learning from Organizational Experience
Learning-in-action, the cyclical interplay of thinking and doing, is increasingly important for organizations as environments and required capabilities become more complex and interdependent. Organizational learning involves both a desire to learn and supportive structures and mechanisms. We draw up...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102739 |
| _version_ | 1826200200743485440 |
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| author | Carroll, John Stephen Rudolph, Jenny W. Hatakenaka, Sachi |
| author_facet | Carroll, John Stephen Rudolph, Jenny W. Hatakenaka, Sachi |
| author_sort | Carroll, John Stephen |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Learning-in-action, the cyclical interplay of thinking and doing, is increasingly important for organizations as environments and required capabilities become more complex and interdependent. Organizational learning involves both a desire to learn and supportive structures and mechanisms. We draw upon three case studies from the nuclear power and chemical industries to illustrate a four-stage model of organizational learning: (1) local stage of decentralized learning by individuals and work groups, (2) control stage of fixing problems and complying with rules, (3) open stage of acknowledgement of doubt and motivation to learn, and (4) deep learning stage of skillful inquiry and systemic mental models. These four stages differ on whether learning is primarily single-loop or doubleloop, i.e., whether the organization can surface and challenge the assumptions and mental models underlying behavior, and whether learning is relatively improvised or structured. The case studies illustrate how organizations learn differently from experience, the details of learning practices, and the nature of stage transitions among learning practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:32:42Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/102739 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:32:42Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1027392019-04-12T07:50:51Z Learning from Organizational Experience Carroll, John Stephen Rudolph, Jenny W. Hatakenaka, Sachi Learning-in-action, the cyclical interplay of thinking and doing, is increasingly important for organizations as environments and required capabilities become more complex and interdependent. Organizational learning involves both a desire to learn and supportive structures and mechanisms. We draw upon three case studies from the nuclear power and chemical industries to illustrate a four-stage model of organizational learning: (1) local stage of decentralized learning by individuals and work groups, (2) control stage of fixing problems and complying with rules, (3) open stage of acknowledgement of doubt and motivation to learn, and (4) deep learning stage of skillful inquiry and systemic mental models. These four stages differ on whether learning is primarily single-loop or doubleloop, i.e., whether the organization can surface and challenge the assumptions and mental models underlying behavior, and whether learning is relatively improvised or structured. The case studies illustrate how organizations learn differently from experience, the details of learning practices, and the nature of stage transitions among learning practices. 2016-06-01T12:39:17Z 2016-06-01T12:39:17Z 2002-05 Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102739 en_US ESD Working Papers;ESD-WP-2003-01.11-ESD Internal Symposium application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division |
| spellingShingle | Carroll, John Stephen Rudolph, Jenny W. Hatakenaka, Sachi Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title | Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title_full | Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title_fullStr | Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title_short | Learning from Organizational Experience |
| title_sort | learning from organizational experience |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102739 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carrolljohnstephen learningfromorganizationalexperience AT rudolphjennyw learningfromorganizationalexperience AT hatakenakasachi learningfromorganizationalexperience |