Certainly, top management's ability to think systematically and allegorically is important for leading American corporations in these times of change. But companies that call themselves "learning organizations" do not limit the concept to top management. A trainer at Northwest Airlines insists that the goal is "to make everyone smarter at their jobs."
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners such as Milliken and Motorola talk about learning in terms of continuous improvement--the kind that occurs as front-line people learn to solve systemic problems using tools such as Pareto analysis and fish-bone diagrams. The human resources director of a huge computer company told me that "learning" means getting everyone in the organization to accept change. To Mike Joyce, HR development manager for Chevron, a learning organization is one that "coordinates and optimizes opportunities for learning, utilizing the collective wisdom of the entire work force. It also uses advanced training methods like accelerated learning and interactive media."
Then there's the training director at another corporation who welcomes the "learning organization fad" because she thinks it may help her increase her budget. When I mentioned this comment to a colleague, he countered by asking, "If an organization learns by itself, who needs training?"