Challenges of Change: From Adaptation to Organizational Transformation

The tenth chapter entitled “Challenges of Change: From Adaptation to Organizational Transformation” from the second part of the book Managing Learning Enterprises titled “Challenges of Implementing a Learning Enterprise” deals with the levels of organizational learning, starting with zero learning, through single-loop or adaptive learning, to double-loop or generative learning, which leads to organizational change in the form of new goals, strategies, and mental models. However, these processes take place in all organizations and could constitute “forced organizational learning,” whereas in learning organizations, double-loop learning results from the collective efforts of empowered employees. Triple-loop learning, or deutero learning, results in challenging the organization’s fundamental assumptions and leads to a change in mission. In this way, the organization learns how to learn based on the new collective consciousness. This chapter focuses primarily on the goals of organizational learning, but also on the challenges that can arise in learning organizations despite the best efforts of the members.