3.1 A Learning organization

Daniel Tobin (1993) may have said it most succinctly: The knowledge your Company needs to succeed today and tomorrow already exists within its boundaries or can be accessed readily from outside sources. But most organizations don t know how to capture this knowledge and how to disseminate it effectively to those who need it most. Yet most successful organizations use knowledge effectively to accomplish the missions they set for themselves. Solutions to opportunities do not present themselves out of thin air, nor do they present themselves serendipitously, but are an integral part of the organization s culture and design. Competitive advantage comes from knowledge, and knowledge comes from learning.

Tobin goes on to cite what characteristics a Learning Organization must have to succeed:

• an openness to new ideas

• a culture that encourages, and provides opportunities for learning and innovation

• widespread knowledge of the organization s overall goals and objectives and understanding how each person s work contributes to them.

3.2 What is real in the learning organization?

History stays alive and vibrant in a learning organization by continually expanding its capacity to create its future , according to Peter Senge (1990). Management and the employee in any organization must continually fight the natural tendency, encouraged by the Company, to hold the course and maintain the status quo. The prime movers in the organization must look at what has been, study it,...