Characteristics of learning organizations within the military

Geert Letens, Raffaella Di Schiena, Eileen M. Van Aken, Jennifer A. Farris

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

In order to survive in a complex and risky environment, military organizations are expected to develop characteristics of Learning Organizations (LO). To verify this, differences between mission units of the Belgian Armed Force vs. units engaged in territorial activities were observed, with respect to the five dimensions of LO defined by Peter Senge (systems thinking, team learning, shared vision, mental models, and personal mastery) and to the 11 dimensions of the Learning Company identified by Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell (learning approach to strategy, participatory policy making, informating, formative accounting and control, internal exchange, reward flexibility, enabling structures, boundary workers as environmental scanners, inter-company learning, learning climate, and self-development opportunities). Findings were consistent with the hypothesized results. Additional analyses on the mission units also revealed that mission context and mission success can be related to several LO dimensions. This paper explores these relationships and identifies areas for future research. Copyright, American Society for Engineering Management, 2012.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAnnual International Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management 2012, ASEM 2012 - Agile Management
Subtitle of host publicationEmbracing Change and Uncertainty in Engineering Management
Pages436-445
Number of pages10
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Event33rd Annual International Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management 2012, ASEM 2012 - Agile Management: Embracing Change and Uncertainty in Engineering Management - Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Duration: 17 Oct 201220 Oct 2012

Publication series

NameAnnual International Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management 2012, ASEM 2012 - Agile Management: Embracing Change and Uncertainty in Engineering Management

Conference

Conference33rd Annual International Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management 2012, ASEM 2012 - Agile Management: Embracing Change and Uncertainty in Engineering Management
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirginia Beach, VA
Period17/10/1220/10/12

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