Gaps and progress in our knowledge of learning organizations

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to review previously published issues of The Learning Organization (TLO) to assess what progress has been made since the journal started in terms of what is known about learning organizations. The author also aims to identify important gaps in what is still to be discovered about organizations that learn, partly to single out promising areas to be investigated. Design/methodology/approach The author reviews all the previously published articles in the first 20 volumes printed and reviews each issue in each volume. The author classifies the methodology undertaken by each published article as being one of the following: a conceptual study, a case study or the analysis of other data. Keywords are assessed to get insights into the shifts in research themes pursued over the years. Findings There has been a substantial increase in the number of published papers over time. The number and percentage of articles that are conceptual in nature has declined somewhat over the years. The number and percentage of articles that involve case studies has increased over the years. The number and percentage of articles that involve analyzing data has increased significantly over the years. There has been a significant shift in research focus away from topics such as management and organizational development to topics such as knowledge management and social networks. Three major areas of gaps in our knowledge of learning organizations are identified: what it means to be a learning organization, how effective are learning organizations and what contextual factors influence learning organizations. Research limitations/implications Although other journals occasionally publish research on learning organizations, attention in this paper is solely focused upon TLO. Practical implications Addressing some of the research questions identified should provide insights that will assist practicing managers. Originality/value Although not a meta analysis of this journal’s research, the author presents a “thematic analysis” of research published in this journal, and the results and insights should prove interesting and useful to scholars in the field seeking rich areas to study.

Theoretical Literature Review: Tracing the Life Cycle of a Theory and Its Verified and Falsified Statements

“…Then, the question remaining is to accurately compare or interpret data that combines different levels and units of analysis, addressing issues relating to this combination in a rigorous manner using multi- or cross-level analysis approaches. (p. 10; see also Tuggle, 2016)…”

Current status and promising directions for research on the learning organization

“…Finally, Tuggle () proposed these gaps in learning organization research: How do organizations make the transition to being a learning organization? Where in an organization are its learning processes centered? What are the benefits and costs to being a learning organization? What are the critical contextual factors affecting learning organizations? When should one (and when should one not) seek to create a learning organization? (p. 456) …”

Early steps in learning about organizational learning in customization settings

“…In accordance with Dixon (2017), this study also argues that suppliers of customizations can benefit from striving to develop as a learning organization – not with specific knowledge content in mind but rather as an important resource for learning structures and procedures. It also responds to Tuggle (2016) who argues that there is a lack of understanding about where in organizations that learning processes are centered.…”