Learning Organizational Learning

The concepts of Organizational Learning (OL) and Learning Organisation (LO) have been prevalent in the management literature for several decades [1] [2] – but exactly what, if anything, differentiates Organizational Learning (OL) from Learning Organisation (LO)?

Answers are to be found in the SCMS Journal of Indian Management, January – March, 2012, where authors Dr. Kalyani Mohanty and Professor Subhasree Kar (pictured above) explain the subtle differences. (page 38 in the .pdf)

“ ‘Organizational Learning’ and ‘Learning Organization’ are the two terms used interchangeably, if not as synonyms.The two most common ways to distinguish between organizational learning and learning organization in existing literature are:

That learning organization is a form of organization while organizational learning is an activity or processes (of learning) in organizations. Organizational learning is a concept used to describe certain types of activity that take place in an organization while the learning organization refers to a particular type of organization in and of itself (Tsang, 1997, DiBella, 1995, Elkjaer, 1999, Finger and BuÈrgin Brand, 1999, Lundberg, 1995).”

Further reading:

The concept of Organizational Learning (OL) has a dedicated society : The Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) which publishes its own journal Reflections: The SoL Journal where you can learn more about Learning Organization (LO), in Volume 4, Number 3 and Volume 11, Number 3.