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The Social Construction of Organizational Learning: Conceptual and Practical Issues in the Field

Organizational Consultant, Florence, Italy.

Martin B. Meznar

Arizona State University West, Phoenix, Arizona 85069-7100.

The field of organizational learning (OL) has been characterized by a wide diversity of opinions, definitions, and conceptualizations. After discussing difficulties associated with previous conceptualizations of organizational learning, this paper suggests a broader conceptualization which is consistent with and integrates diverse perspectives in the field of OL. To the extent that organizations continuously act and enact their environments, cognitive processes associated with learning continually take place whether the organization recognizes it or not. OL cannot be understood without taking into account the continuous ongoing change of organizational cognitive structures. However, learning is only recognized when an observer identifies and contextualizes those changes. Thus, organizational learning can be interpreted as a social construction which transforms acquired cognition into accountable abstract knowledge. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this conceptualization of learning on management practice and organizational research.

Key Words: organizational learning • social construction • cognition • cognitive structures

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