Valuable Disconnects in Organizational Learning Systems

Valuable Disconnects in Organizational Learning Systems: Integrating Bold Visions and Harsh Realities offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how knowledge, skills and capabilities are developed in organizations--and how this process offers deep insights into the predictable barriers to success. Written in a clear, accessible style, it highlights the crucial part "disconnects" play in the learning cycle--a role that it is essential to understand in today's increasingly knowledge-driven work systems.

The conceptual framework of the text is grounded in scholarly research and detailed case studies that focus on an organization's front-line operating practices, the governance of training and learning activities, and ties to the strategic level. The book highlights six types of organizational learning--including learning that is incremental, experimental, continuous, synergistic, entrenched, and revolutionary--all of which have different implications for theory and practice.

The book is organized into three parts. Part I, Bold Visions, introduces the importance and great potential of systems for learning, training, and knowledge. Part II, Harsh Realities, takes a detailed look at the dynamics of "disconnects," "divergence," and "dilemmas" in the learning process. Finally, Part III, Integration, highlights the interconnections between the Bold Visions and the Harsh Realities.

Valuable Disconnects in Organizational Learning Systems: Integrating Bold Visions and Harsh Realities is essential reading for organizational leaders at all levels and it is ideal for courses in industrial/organizational psychology, business, and public policy.

Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld is Senior Research Scientist and Executive Director of the Engineering Systems Learning Center, with appointments in MIT's Engineering Systems Division and the Sloan School of Management. He has written seven books, including Knowledge-Driven Work (OUP, 1998), and more than sixty articles, chapters, and technical reports. He has extensive experience leading large-scale systems change initiatives and has worked with a wide range of public and private sector employers and unions in the United States, Japan, South Africa, Australia, and other countries.

J. Kevin Ford is Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University and a fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He has published two books and more than fifty articles, chapters, and technical reports. He is an active consultant with private industry and the public sector on training, teamwork, and organizational development issues.