Towards a Process Perspective on Organizational Learning

This paper explores the concept of organizational learning. The aim is on one hand to define organizational learning as an approach, which is also associated with an organizational level. A second aim is to define a clearer position for it in the change literature by associating it with the dialogue. We address these questions by means of the Dreyfus & Dreyfus model of skill acquisition and Polanyi's concept of tacit knowing. Moreover, we use a case study of six companies in the Telecom Valley Region in Northern Jutland to illustrate the main points. In these companies, we explore how they try to face continuous demands for changes in products, processes and strategies. We argue that they try to organize to facilitate dialogue and cooperation across all levels in the organization. These capabilities are decisive for these organizations since they make it possible for people to adapt and develop their knowledge to changed circumstances.