Demystifying Organizational Learning

This book presents a solid, research-based conceptual framework that demystifies organizational learning and bridges the gap between theory and practice. Using an integrative approach, authors Raanan Lipshitz, Victor Friedman and Micha Popper provide practitioners and researchers with tools for understanding organizational learning under real-world conditions.   

Key Features:

• Tackles the problem of mystification: A clear message is presented that organizational learning and related concepts have been mystified in a way that is unnecessary and dysfunctional to both theory and practice. This book provides a unique set of tools for understanding, promoting, and studying organizational learning.
• Introduces an integrative theme that addresses three key questions: How can organizations actually learn? What is the key for productive organizational learning? When is productive organizational learning likely to occur? Answering these questions is the key to clarifying the conceptual confusion that plagues the related fields of organizational learning, learning organizations, and knowledge management.
• Illuminates organizational reality: All of the concepts presented in the book are illustrated through concrete case examples. Detailed analyses are provided of both successful and unsuccessful applications of organizational learning. In addition, examples of interventions to develop organizational learning are included to help managers and consultants.  

Intended Audience: This book is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Organizational Learning, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Behavior in the departments of Management, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Sociology.

Raanan Lipshitz is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Haifa. He is Senior Editor, Organization Studies (SAGE). Professor Lipshitz specializes in organizational psychology, organizational learning, and decision making. He has written numerous articles for publications such as Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Management Studies, Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, Training & Development Journal, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, Organization Studies, Journal of Creative Behavior, Journal of Management Learning, The Learning Organization, and Behaviorial and Brain Sciences. He is co-editor of Brehmer, B., Lipshitz, R., & Montgomery, H. (Eds.), (forthcoming) How Do Professionals Make Decisions? Mahaw, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Victor Friedman is an Associate Professor with a joint appointment to the Behavioral Sciences and the Sociology and Anthropology departments at the Emek Yezreel (Jezreel Valley) College, Israel.  His work focuses on an "action science" approach to integrating research with practice in areas characterized by uncertainty, uniqueness, and conflict.  He has worked with educational, social service, government, and business organizations and has published papers dealing with organizational learning, program evaluation, social entrepreneurship, and social inclusion.  Professor Friedman is a founder and the director of the Action Research Center, an initiative to develop a more responsive mutual relationship between academia and the local community.   Dr. Friedman received his Ed.D. from Harvard University in Counseling, Consulting, and Community Psychology, his M.A. from Columbia University, and his B.A. from Brandeis University.  He is a senior associate of the Action Evaluation Research Institute and has participated in the "Project for Productive Reflection and Learning at Work", sponsored by the Swedish National Institute for Working Life, and the international "Kolleg" in Organizational Learning, sponsored by the Daimler-Benz Foundation.  He has been a visiting scholar-faculty at the Organizational Learning Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Berlin Social Science Institute (WZB), the Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL), and the Theseus Institute in France.

Micha Popper  is  Associate  Professor  and the  head  of the Organizational  Psychology  Program  in the  Department  of Psychology  at  the   University   of Haifa , Israel, is the former  commanding  officer  of the School  for  Leadership Development of the Israel Defense Forces .He  is  the  founder  and  director of the Center for Outstanding Leadership in Zikhron  Yaakov  Israel ; A  scholar  of the  US Army Research Institute( ARI ) and  has  been  a  visiting  professor  at  Simon Fraser  University  in Vancouver Canada  His  research and consulting  concern organizational  learning  and  the dynamics  of  leader- followers  relationship  and  developmental  aspects  of leaders . He  has  a Phd  from Tel –Aviv University  (Organizational Behavior), MA  from Tel-Aviv University  and BA  from the Hebrew University  in Jerusalem . Author and co-author  of  five  books on leadership   and numerous articles in journals  including  The leadership Quarterly , Political Psychology , Academy of Management Journal , Military Psychology , Management Learning  and Journal  of Applied  Behavioral Science.