Learning in Crisis: Rethinking Organisational Learning in Relation to Crisis Management.

The experience of learning in space and time

“…Therefore, social spaces are spaces of order and struggle, but at the same time they are also radically open and full of endless possibilities. This lies at the core of 'Learning in crisis' (Antonacopoulou and Sheaffer, 2014) -a mode of learning that recognizes the emergence and emergency in learning practices, not just in periods of crisis, but also in our going engagement with the unknown. This engagement with the unknown is central to practising, itself founded on repetition where possibilities are born (see Antonacopoulou, 2008).…”

“…In my view, however, informed by much of my ongoing empirical work on learning practices in organizations, the explanation of willingness and ability to learn being fostered by more open and inclusive networks is too simplistic to reflect the struggle underpinning learning. I call it struggle or crisis in learning (see Antonacopoulou and Sheaffer, 2014) because I want to stress the power and political forces that shape such networks and form the core of the social context, a point that is not sufficiently elaborated in Rutten's essay. These forces have already been examined in the organizational learning and knowledge management literature (Lave and Wenger, 1991;Nicolini et al, 2003;Lawrence et al, 2005;Antonacopoulou and Chiva, 2007).…”

Human Resource Management, Innovation and Performance

“…However, if we are to extend our understanding of practising innovating in relation to HRM practice we need modes of learning to be innovative and also engaging with the unknown and unknowable. Antonacopoulou and Sheaffer (2014) advance Learning-in-Crisis as a mode of learning founded on the premise that the unknown and unknowable shape the way in which events (be they deemed as unusual, crisis or even innovations) are experienced. They make a compelling case for LiC as facilitating a fresh look at the strategic role of learning across levels and units of analysis especially during unusual conditions that may cause confusion, uncertainty and doubt over the suitability of existing practices.…”

Learning From Catastrophes and Leadership Thought

“…These concepts motivate organizations to adjust to environmental changes and exhortation from repeating the errors, which are made in time of a catastrophe. Since organizational learning is to draw lessons from the experiences, the same is true for a catastrophe, because it is a serious experience for the organization (Antonacopoulou & Sheaffer, 2014). Tourism and related companies learn from crises in altered ways.…”