Strategy and the Learning Organization: A Maturity Model for the Formation of Strategy.

Purpose – To develop a theoretical model for strategic change that links learning in an organization to the strategic process.Design/methodology/approach – The model was developed from a review of literature covering a range of areas including: management, strategic planning, psychology of learning and organizational learning. The process of forming and implementing strategy in an organization was looked at critically and then the links between learning and strategy were explored, particularly in relation to innovation and radical strategic change.Findings – The degree of correspondence found across various strands of the literature implies a general principle: that the development of strategy is closely linked with learning. The paper proposes that, if appropriately designed, purposeful strategic activity will help to develop an organizational learning culture. As the strategic planning process is widely accepted across all sectors of the economy, it has the potential; to provide an effective means of di...

[1]  A. Leigh Thinking Ahead: Strategic Foresight and Government , 2003 .

[2]  John M. Owen,et al.  Evaluation culture: A definition and analysis of its development within organisations , 2003 .

[3]  Ellen Earle Chaffee,et al.  Three Models of Strategy1 , 1985 .

[4]  G. Hamel,et al.  Strategy as revolution. , 1996, Harvard business review.

[5]  E. Rogers Diffusion of Innovations , 1962 .

[6]  Donald A. Schön Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions , 1987 .

[7]  L. Vygotsky Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes: Harvard University Press , 1978 .

[8]  Henry Mintzberg The rise and fall of strategic planning , 1993 .

[9]  John Quay,et al.  Experience and Participation: Relating Theories of Learning , 2003 .

[10]  William Weitzel,et al.  Decline in Organizations: A Literature Integration and Extension. , 1989 .

[11]  Paul Tosey,et al.  When change is no longer enough: what do we mean by “transformation” in organizational change work? , 2002 .

[12]  James A. Jaramillo Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and Contributions to the Development of Constructivist Curricula , 1996 .

[13]  R. Grant Strategic planning in a turbulent environment: evidence from the oil majors , 2003 .

[14]  D. Schon Educating the Reflective Practitioner. Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. The Jossey-Bass Higher Education Series. , 1987 .

[15]  Glenys Patterson The Applicability of Institutional Goals to the University Organisation , 2001 .

[16]  W. Whyte,et al.  Participatory Action Research , 1989 .

[18]  R. Stacey The science of complexity: An alternative perspective for strategic change processes , 1995 .

[19]  Richard Whittington,et al.  The Challenge of Organizing/Strategizing , 2003 .

[20]  Don H. Lester CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT , 1998 .

[21]  R. Gagne Conditions of Learning , 1965 .

[22]  Bob de Wit,et al.  Strategy Synthesis: Resolving Strategy Paradoxes to Create Competitive Advantage , 1999 .

[23]  Ian Combe,et al.  Strategy paradigms for the management of quality:dealing with complexity , 2004 .

[24]  W. David Sheasley,et al.  LEADING THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS , 1999 .

[25]  Michael L. Tushman,et al.  Winning through innovation , 1997 .

[26]  Learning and Continuous Change in Innovating Organizations , 2003 .

[27]  P. Senge The fifth discipline : the art and practice of the learning organization/ Peter M. Senge , 1991 .

[28]  Richard T. Harrison,et al.  Learning organizations: the measurement of company performance , 1996 .

[29]  H. Igor Ansoff,et al.  Comment on Henry Mintzberg's rethinking strategic planning , 1994 .

[30]  J. Kenny Managing innovation in educational institutions , 2002 .

[31]  J. Piaget The construction of reality in the child , 1954 .

[32]  M. Driscoll Psychology of Learning for Instruction , 1993 .

[33]  What makes a university effective , 1998 .

[34]  Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt,et al.  Action learning and action research: paradigm, praxis and programs , 2001 .

[35]  Peter Y. T. Sun Exploring the Divide--Organizational Learning and Learning Organization. , 2003 .

[36]  Alan B. Eisner The Effects of Rapid Environmental Change on Competitive Strategies: An Organizational Learning Perspective , 2003 .

[37]  Donald A. Schön,et al.  Organizational Learning II: Theory, Method, and Practice , 1995 .