Do Organizations Learn When Employees Learn Development and Learning in Organizations

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.