We believe that these learning processes have value and can operate in another type
of collective beyond a workplace organization. It is the collective of community, where
people share interests and goals at least in part by virtue of sharing the locality where
they reside. Members of a learning community – like members of a learning
organization – are not victims or passive players within a traditional hierarchy but
instead act and interact as equals, expressing ideas and challenging themselves and
each other to achieve shared goals. In sum, the learning community, similar to that of a
learning organization, fosters an environment where people can learn to learn together,
for the collective good and for themselves. This requires cooperation between
individuals and groups, open and honest communication, and a culture of trust and
respect, which are the philosophy, aspiration, practice and outcome of the learning
community. In this sense we may conceive of community as a type of fluid
“organization”. A learning community is itself a kind of learning organization.