The Meaning of Organizational Learning

Abstract

This conceptual article focuses on organizational learning (OL), which is broadly defined as a learning process within organizations that involves the interaction of individual and collective (group, organizational, and inter-organizational) levels of analysis and leads to achieving organizations' goals. This article explores a largely uncharted route of looking at OL through the lenses of several research paradigms and developing a meta-paradigm framework of this construct. The meta-paradigm framework accounts for the complexity of OL, as well as connections between its levels of analysis that have not been explained in the literature. The meta-paradigm framework of OL includes the definition of organization, the definition of OL, its ontology and epistemology, as well as its implications for human resource development (HRD) research and practice.Keywords organizational learning, paradigm, meta-paradigm framework, HRD Modern organizations are increasingly affected by the "knowledge-thick" global environment characterized by growing complexity, uncertainty, non-linearity, and rapid change. Organizations are becoming "more fluid, ever shifting in size, shape, and arrangements," and are promoting the removal of hierarchies and de-centering of knowledge creation (

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