Title

Organizational learning

Intro

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.

Body

Current issue

No

Date

04/04/2008

Issue no

33

Cover Image

Frontpage items

Moussiliou Adiloy, an independent consultant based in Benin, has many years’ experience in capacity development with various organisations. Here he identifies the barriers to team learning, and ways to overcome them.

The recent National Intelligence Estimate of the US intelligence agencies concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

Although many aid agencies claim to be learning organisations, a recent review found that they still need to address some major challenges, especially at field level. Ben Ramalingam asks why this is the case, and what aid agencies can do to learn more effectively.

In many aid agencies the rhetoric of learning is rarely matched in practice. Charles Owusu describes the efforts of ActionAid to make systems and structures part of the solution to becoming a learning organisation, rather than part of the problem.

Agriculture is back on the international agenda. The most recent World Development Report looks at learning for farmers but largely ignores the need for learning in institutions, including agricultural research centres.

In 2006, following the elections in Mexico, 14 sexual and reproductive rights organisations met to develop strategies for an advocacy campaign. Julián Portilla and Sylvia Aguilera describe the collective learning process.

Issue design

Current

PDF

33_Capcity_ENG.pdf (777.09 kB)

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Organizational learning