Stakeholders and the Learning Organization

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between stakeholder theory and research on the learning organization. It begins by describing the history of the stakeholder concept and some of the most important ideas and trends relating to stakeholder theory. Next, the authors discuss some apparent similarities in the principles underlying stakeholder theory and Senge’s (1990) articulation of the learning organization. They also examine the types of stakeholders that received the greatest attention by Senge (1990). The chapter continues with a review of the various ways that subsequent learning organization scholarship has approached stakeholders and stakeholder theory. The authors find that Senge’s The Fifth Discipline had a strong “anchoring” effect on subsequent learning organization research that has tended to direct attention to just a few major stakeholder theory topics and types of stakeholders. The concluding section offers recommendations on how principles relating to stakeholder theory and the learning organization can be further combined in the future.

Creating learning organization 2.0: a contextualized and multi-stakeholder approach

“…In addition, we also suggest that organizational actors should strive to work hard for win-win solutions for all impacted stakeholders; that is, taking a symbiotic view instead of a zero-sum approach to stakeholder management (Dess et al , 2018). As Schneper et al (2019, p. 126) state, “satisfying the potentially conflicting needs of stakeholders is vital for organizational success and survival.” Our study further incorporates the employee perspective of Örtenblad in proposing that employees should act as boundary spanners and build networks to obtain information and feedback from various impacted stakeholders. There are three rationales for this approach.…”

“…For instance, when top management is sitting at the top of the mountain imagining and setting learning goals and strategies, they may be too far away from customers and may misjudge the abilities and intentions of workers (Ashkenas et al , 2002); thus, they could develop learning initiatives and training programs that may not be useful for employees or realistic for firms. However, by obtaining feedback from various diverse stakeholders and picking up solutions that satisfy their potential conflicting needs, firms will be able to improve and modify, until the maximum organizational goals and programs of action can then be determined (Schneper et al , 2019).…”

Common thread: The Fifth Discipline from a liberal arts college perspective

“…A comparison between the liberal arts tradition and Senge’s approach to learning reveals significant complementarities. Senge emphasizes that since external environments are always evolving, organizations must prioritize learning and change in order succeed (Schneper et al , 2019). Correspondingly, proponents of the liberal arts and liberal learning traditions maintain that an educational system based on the simple accumulation of knowledge is insufficient.…”

“…Some describe Senge’s ideas as “Utopian sunshine” (Driver, 2002, p. 33), “unrealistic” (Santa, p. 254) and “difficult to implement” (Rupčić, 2019, p. 17). Researchers even disagree about what Senge meant by the term learning organization, and the concept has proven difficult to operationalize and test (Örtenblad, 2007; Calhoun et al , 2011; Schneper et al , 2019) Calhoun et al (2011, p. 232) further accuse The Fifth Discipline of being “bizarrely abstract, nearly impossible to decipher and impossible to translate into practical actions.” One of the most persistent complaints is that the learning organization is simply a passing fad (Calhoun et al , 2011).…”

“…Organization members should also maintain close communication with outside stakeholders, including potential partners and community members (Schneper et al , 2019; Örtenblad and Koris, 2014). One increasingly common practice amongst LACs is to form partnerships with graduate schools to offer joint degree programs.…”