A search for new methodology to create a learning organization

Abstract

The most successful corporation of the 2000s will be something called a learning organization. The society is an excellent example of complex adaptive systems, whose crucial properties are (1) multiple agents, (2) building blocks, (3) internal models, and (4) perpetual novelty. The problem of ambiguity is conspicuous and change has become both pervasive and persistent. The rate at which individuals and organizations learn may be the only sustainable competitive advantage. The challenge, then, is to discover new management tools and methods to accelerate organizational learning. Based on several case studies analyzed using my double-loop learning model, I claim that policy exercise, a managerial support system using gaming/simulation, can prove to be a powerful methodology in creating learning organization. Policy exercise can provide interactive learning environments based on systems thinking, which is essential for organizational double-loop learning.