Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether the learning organization, as envisioned by Peter Senge in "The Fifth Discipline" (1990), facilitates responsible innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyze the component characteristics of the learning organization as defined by Senge (1990) to identify any conceptual or…

Purpose: In this paper, the author explores his research journey into the learning organization and its impact on his academic career. This paper describes how Peter Senge's book "The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization" (1990) was the spark that led to the author's focus on empirical research in the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Peter Senge's ideas from the perspective of the spiritual ideal of harmony/He ([foreign character omitted]). Design/methodology/approach: Following a literature review of the conceptualization of Senge's fifth discipline and harmony, an appreciative case study of Alibaba is adopted to…

Purpose: This paper aims to reconceptualize the relationship between organizational learning and bureaucracy. Although the two are generally considered to be antithetical, this paper shows that, in some organizations, bureaucracy can be functional for organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The central argument is theoretical and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to place the idea of the learning organization in a historical, multidisciplinary context with the aim of identifying obstacles and opportunities for its greater realization in practice. Design/methodology/approach: Marking the 30th anniversary of publication of Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline",…

Purpose: This paper aims to provide some comments on the four papers, other than the author's own, that were included in a recent special issue on organizational unlearning. Design/methodology/approach: The author carefully reads these papers and identify problems that may hinder unlearning research. Findings: While each paper has its own merits,…

Purpose: This paper aims to conceptualize what it means to be resilient in the face of our current reality of indisputable turbulence and uncertainty, suggest that continual metamorphosis is key to resilience, demonstrate the role of unlearning in that metamorphosis and suggest that problem formulation is a key deliberate mechanism of driving…

Purpose: The learning region has over the years become popular as a concept to portray and analyse subnational geographic entities heading for future growth and well-being. Claiming analytic and political relevance, the concept nevertheless retains much unclarified ideological content. Design/methodology/approach: This study traces its roots to…

This summary piece aims to provide a clear connection for leaders, managers or even individuals as they endeavor to put organizational unlearning into practice inside their organization. The author attempts to simplify the details from the diverse articles within this issue only with the aim of helping build an easier method for practical…

Purpose: This paper presents a philosophical and practical discussion of the role of development of consciousness for realization of a learning organization. Consciousness is the capacity to know, the capacity to learn. As the knower is, so is the knowledge. Development of consciousness can lead to more profound and holistic learning and enable…

Purpose: Human resource development (HRD) is an important field within management. Developing employees is often regarded as an instrument to improve the internal labor market and support organizational change. Organizing HRD to these ends, however, is frequently a problematic affair, in terms of training effectiveness, participant motivation and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose how a bottom-up creation of an ambidextrous organization can be enabled. By integrating research on "contextual ambidexterity" and "individual and organizational capacity building", an "innovation capacity building" framework is conceptualized that suggests how balance…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the differences in mindfulness, meditation and flow and the conditions in which each occurs. It summarizes research that demonstrates positive benefits of these three for employee and organizational learning. While mindfulness focuses awareness on what is occurring in the moment, flow involves total immersion in…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyze international and national research and development (R&D) programs and roadmaps for the manufacturing sector, presenting how agile and lean manufacturing models are addressed in these programs. Design/methodology/approach: In this review, several manufacturing research and development programs and…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify the principles and characteristics of a learning conference which uses action learning and action research (ALAR) processes to create: optimal learning for all participants through a collaborative, inclusive conference culture; further knowledge creation in publishing conference papers post-conference…