Issue 33 : Organizational learning

Many organisations dedicated to poverty reduction have realised that this is not good enough. experimented with ways to improve their performance through learning since Peter Senge published his trailblazing book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization in 1990. Although Senge drew mainly on experiences and insights gained in the private sector, his work inspired many working in the not-for-profit sector. Despite the many new approaches to learning that have emerged in recent years, too many development agencies still underestimate the importance of learning. They fear negative evaluations because they may be seen as evidence of failure, rather than as opportunities for learning. As a result, practices that do not work can be replicated many times because the target groups – the poor – are usually not in a position to give their feedback. The real failure occurs when development agencies avoid rigorous evaluations and in the process miss out on these valuable learning opportunities.