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Management Theory

Learning Organization

Strategic Planning and Performance Management Frameworks

A learning organization is a concept in management theory describing a company that actively creates, acquires, and transfers knowledge, and continuously modifies its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insight. The idea was popularized by Peter Senge in his 1990 book The Fifth Discipline, which identified five disciplines, including systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning, that Senge argued organizations must cultivate to sustain the capacity to learn and adapt over time. The concept has been influential in organizational development, encouraging companies to treat continuous learning and adaptability as a deliberate strategic capability rather than an incidental byproduct of operations.

Facts
Core Claim
A learning organization is a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. 1
Origin Year
1990 1
Wikipedia states the concept was coined through the work of Peter Senge and colleagues but does not give a year in prose; its own reference list dates Senge's foundational publication to 1990.
Classification
Topic (Functional Area)
Organizational Behavior 1
Connections

Associated With

The learning organization concept and dynamic capabilities theory both concern an organization's capacity to adapt and renew itself, and are frequently cited together in strategic management literature.

Source Wikipedia, Learning Organization

Developed By

Foundational organizational-learning scholar with Donald Schon; Peter Senge, who popularized the term, is not yet a live entity, see MintCandidate.

Sources
1. Wikipedia, Learning Organization
Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia, Learning organization lead section
    a learning organization is a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself.
  • Wikipedia, Learning organization, References section
    Senge, P. M. (1990). The art and practice of the learning organization.
  • Introduction, functional area topic classification
    In business management, a learning organization is a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself.
  • Associated With: Dynamic Capabilities
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