From the learning organization to learning communities toward a learning society

Abstract

This paper explores a common assumption: that education must be made an open, interconnected chain of learning opportunities, available to people from cradle to grave, i.e., a "learning society." Learning is examined in the following three distinct, but interrelated, domains: the domain of work; the domain of the community; and the domain of politics. The focus is on the following four key elements of the learning process: collaboration; communication; critical thinking; and creativity. The paper is organized into five chapters. Following an introductory chapter discussing purpose and definitions, Victoria Marsick explores the concept of the learning organization, looking at the organizational learning process and ways to facilitate learning for the organization as a system and for individuals in the system. In the third chapter, Jeanne Bitterman takes up the larger entity of the learning community, using theories and models such as social learning, situational cognition, and communities of practice to describe ways to develop group learning and communicative competence. The potential of the learning society is then examined by Ruud van der Veen, who describes changes in the domain of politics and the learning of political systems. The chapter also addresses the role of adult educators in helping citizens learn how to take effective political action. The final chapter draws conclusions about the nature of collective learning and raises questions for future research and practice.