LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS

Having an army which is a “learning organization would greatly support training, and training can reinforce the strength of a learning organization. I have left to the end this most important aspect to consider - that is, creating a learning organization.

As I read back I note that much of what I have said is about becoming and being a learning organization. What we need is a much greater emphasis on this philosophy, i.e., all commanders and leaders must consistently work at creating a learning environment, no matter the task at hand. Encouraging this philosophy has got to start at the top, and once it catches on it must be part of the thinking and action at every level - be it the section, the counter in the quartermaster stores, the transport platoon, the CO's “O” Group or the bureaucracy of higher HQs.

General Sullivan and his colleague, Colonel Harper, have said it all in their book, “Hope Is Not A Method”. It is well worth the read. The learning organization philosophy they espouse is based primarily on Peter Senge's concepts as set out in his book, “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization,” also well worth reading. These make for a good study and should stimulate a change in attitude and actions. Canada's Army can learn much from the US Army experience from the seventies to the nineties, and can thereby learn to transform itself into a learning organization.