Industry Best Practices for a Learning Culture

There are a number of theorists promoting a learning culture. Among the most prominent is Peter Senge, an MIT professor in the Sloan School of Management. was named a 'Strategist of the Centur' by the Journal of Business Strategy, one of 24 men and women who have 'had the greatest impact on the way we conduct business today'(September/October 1999).

According to Senge "learning organizations" are those organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. He argues that only those organizations that are able to adapt quickly and effectively will be able to excel in their field or market. In order to be a learning organization, there must be two conditions present at all times. The first is the ability to design the organization to match the intended or desired outcomes, and second, the ability to recognize when the initial direction of the organization is different from the desired outcome and follow the necessary steps to correct this mismatch. Organizations that are able to do this are exemplary.