Do organizations learn when employees learn: The link between individual and organizational learning

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the link between individual learning and organizational learning and offer guidelines to harness the individual capability of learning for organizational objectives. Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper using arguments from the theory of meaning structures. Findings: The author shows that, learning, whether organizational or individual, is about the construction and accessibility of meaning, and that such processes thrive in a culture which fosters collaborative team work. Research limitations/implications: The theory presents a perspective of how organizational knowledge exists in a triad - private, accessible and collective - and the interrelationships to create organizational learning. These constructs can form the building blocks for future research. Practical implications: The theory brings organizations closer to prioritizing and evaluating learning processes to ensure that they facilitate the accessibility of knowledge. Social implications: The theory can enable organizations to identify processes which inhibit the accessibility of knowledge and create the environment to promote such. Originality/value: The theory opens a new insight into viewing organizational learning from the perspective of constructing and sharing meaning structures. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.