Learning Organization: Concept and Application

摘要

As we approach the 21st century, we are entering into a new era in the history ofmankind. The Industrial Age is giving way to the Information Age. The only thing certain about that future is that it will change, and it will present organizations with an ever-increasing rate of change. We are on the leading edge of a new era of dramatic transformation and change that will deeply affect our organizational structures. Only the so-called learning organizations, those that are able to continually transform themselves to better collect, manage, and use knowledge, will be able to thrive and prosper during these times of rapid change. This paper explores the five disciplines or skills that characterize a learning organization--systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning--and the leadership traits and competencies necessary to bring them into being. A highly successful governmental organization, the Seattle Engineer District, is then examined as a case-study of an organization that is on the path to becoming a learning organization.