What Is a Learning Organization, and what it is Not

The "Learning Organization" (LO) is not just another managerial tool.

It is a holistic approach to organizational culture, organizational development and personal development within the organization. The human-being, the individual, lies at the center of this approach.

You cannot transform an organization into a LO only by reading and understanding the theory. LO is not a theory but rather a way of life, and one needs to realize its deep meaning, its advantages, and 'disadvantages,' and what one first needs to do.

The first thing for an organization that wishes to become a LO and to implement learning processes, is to prepare itself for the change and to utilize enough resources for the project.

This is not such an obvious decision!

It is important that the leaders of the organization realize the need and understand why they choose to become a LO.

Changing into a LO can be a big change (you may want to read the quote at the top of the page once again.)

And just before you make a decision, these are principles and things you should know.