Revisiting the roots of learning organization

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a literature synthesis of the learning organization and discuss several pertinent theoretical concepts on the subject.Design/methodology/approach – A range of works mainly from 1990‐2004, which aim at providing a variety of perspectives on the learning organization, have been analyzed and discussed based on its theoretical roots and ontological perspectives.Findings – The synthesis of the literature reveals several common themes from the various learning organization definitions and discovers the greater significance of systems thinking in Senge's five disciplines.Research limitations/implications – It is not an exhaustive coverage of the learning organization literature. However it offers great research implications where several key concepts can be further explored. For example, is systems thinking really crucial to organizational learning?Practical implications – Practitioners may find the analysis of the various models in relation to Senge's five disciplines useful...

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