I det här kapitlet behandlas det som kallas organisatoriskt lärande, vilket kan ses som ett sätt att studera organisationers utveckling i termer av lärande och kunskapsutveckling. Vi kommer här ge en kortfattad bakgrund till forskningsintresset för det organisatoriska lärandet och därefter presentera och analysera tre teoretiska modeller, som ofta refereras till i litteraturen. Syftet med kapitlet är att skapa en förståelse för forskningsfältet organisatoriskt lärande i stort och bidra med insikter kring likheter och skillnader i de tre valda teorierna. Kapitlet avslutas med några reflektioner om vad organisatoriskt lärande har för relevans för organisationspedagogik, och på vilka sätt frågor om organisatoriskt lärande kan ses som pedagogiskt intressanta frågor.

Collective creativity in organizations is generally considered to involve the convergence of divergent perspectives into a synthesis. While research has identified interactions that enable convergence, divergent perspectives are often taken for granted, and we know less about how they are fostered. To provide a more holistic understanding, this study examines the dynamic interplay between divergent and convergent interactions through a learning lens. It integrates insights from paradox research and collective learning theory with ethnographic research on a large art and theater project. In this project, characters, scenes, set designs, and organizational practices evolved through two interdependent cycles of collective learning. Through consensus learning, individuals incorporated each other’s ideas, resulting in interwoven collective expressions that reinforced the norm of collaboration and thereby promoted convergence. Through conflict learning, individuals asserted their own ideas, resulting in more fragmented collective expressions that reinforced the norm of autonomy and thereby promoted divergence. This paradoxical and organic learning process encompassed cognitive, material, and affective dimensions. The findings suggest that accepting fragmentation is essential for fostering divergent perspectives, while a culture of dialogue plays a critical role in synthesizing these perspectives.

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to analyze the links between leaders' creation of knowledge in the setting of a leadership development program and the transfer of knowledge to their own organizations.

Design/methodology/approach - This is a case study of a leadership development program conducted during 2020–2022. The program was focused on how to lead and manage learning and knowledge processes in organizations, and offered a mix of theoretical perspectives and practical collaborative sessions. Data were collected through interviews and the participants' written reflections on their learning experiences. Total number of interviews was 13.

Findings - Overall the participants showed many examples of how they applied theories and practical tools that they had learned during the program in their own organizations. The participants experienced different types of challenges regarding knowledge transfer, but also potential meta-knowledge transfer through dialogue.

Practical implications - Pedagogical organizing of leadership development point to a need for supplementary dialogue between the leader of the development program and both the participating leader and manager.

Originality/value - This study shows that meta-knowledge transfer is not a simple matter of moving codified knowledge from the development program to new settings. Knowledge about others' knowledge requires and stimulates subject-to-subject relations between people through which new knowledge potential is created. These findings confirm and enhance previous studies that indicate the need for social support for soft-skill knowledge transfer.

Purpose - Interim managers (IMs) are consultants who take on managerial positions during limited periods to perform changes, handle crises or cover vacancies. The increasing use of these short-term outsiders shapes new conditions for organizational learning in contemporary work life. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to research-based knowledge and theoretical understanding of the relationship between interim management and organizational learning.

Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents a literature review on interim management published within the years 2000-2020 and analyzes it through the lens of organizational learning.

Findings - An interim management assignment is characterized by a period of uncertainty, a limited time frame, knowledge from the outside and rather invisible outcomes. The concepts of shared mental models, dialogue, knowledge creation and organizational culture shed light on possibilities and constraints for organizational learning in these arrangements. The findings highlight the IM's position as central for transforming the organizational culture, put a question mark for the establishment of the IM's knowledge, show the need for defining outcomes in terms of learning processes and indicate tensions between opportunities for dialogue and the exercise of power.

Originality/value - The study provides a new conceptual understanding of interim management, laying the foundation for empirical studies on this topic from an organizational learning perspective.

Lärande och kompetensutveckling är alltjämt viktiga ­utmaningar för organisationer. Men tyvärr ser vi en negativ utveckling i ­dagens arbetsliv, med styr- och ledningssystem som tär på mänskliga ­resurser, där kompetens förslösas eller helt enkelt ­används på fel sätt. Den lärande organisationen 2.0 syftar till att lyfta fram möjliga alternativ till denna utveckling.   

Exempel på teman som tas upp i boken är agila processer, expert­samhället, digitalt arbete, kreativitet, ­självorganisering, ­öppenhet för innovation, verksamhetsnära ledning och aktivitets­baserade kontor. Det rör sig om vitt skilda fenomen som dock binds samman genom ett fokus på lärande och ­organisering för lärande.   

Den lärande organisationen 2.0 är avsedd för universitets- och ­högskoleutbildningar med inriktning mot arbetsliv och lärande samt personal- och organisationsutveckling. Den vänder sig också till ­chefer på olika nivåer och i olika verksamheter. Boken kan även med fördel användas för praktiskt utvecklingsarbete i organisationer.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to explore what kind of ethical competence healthcare managers need in handling conflicts of interest (COI). The aim is also to highlight essential learning processes to develop healthcare managers’ ethical competence.

Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study was performed. Semi-structured interviews with ten Swedish healthcare managers from different care providers were carried out twice and analysed through step-wise categorisation.

Findings – Four categories of COI were revealed and two ways (passive and active) in which COI were handled. Ethical guidelines did not help the healthcare managers to handle the COI, and none of the managers made use of any sort of systematic ethical analysis. However, certain ethical competence was of great importance to identify and handle COI, consisting of contextual understanding, rational emotions, some theoretical knowledge and a suitable language. Organising work so that ethical analysis can be carried out is of great importance, and top management needs to clearly express the importance of ethical competence and allocate resources to allow adequate learning processes.

Originality/value – This paper highlights the management level and focuses on how work-integrated learning-processes can enable ethical competence. Ethical competence at the management level is essential both to comply with the constitution and legal requirements regarding healthcare, and so that managers are able to analyse COI and justify their decisions.

Ökad flexibilitet och ökad standardisering har och har haft stor betydelse för hur arbetslivet har organiserats det senaste decenniet. Vid en första anblick kan dessa organiseringssätt ses som motsägelsefulla där ökad flexibilitet förknippas med minskad styrning och kontroll med större autonomi och frihet för den enskilda individen, medan standardisering antas bidra till en ökad kontrol och minskad autonomi. I artikeln analyseras och diskuteras vilken betydelse flexibilitet och standardisering har och har haft för lärande i arbetslivet. Av analysen framkommer att såväl ökad flexibilitet som standardisering tycks främja ett individuellt och anpassningsinriktat lärande, med begränsat utrymme för reflektion. Samtidigt finns flexibla arbeten, som t.ex. arbeten i tillfälliga projekt, som kan skapa goda villkor för lärande på kort sikt, men löper svårigheter att skapa villkor för ett långsiktigt kollektivt utvecklingsinriktat lärande i organisaitoner. Sammanfattningsvis visar artikeln att det finns väsentliga utmaningar i dagens och morgondagens arbetsliv. En fråga som ställs är huruvida arbetslivet har tjänat ut sin funktion som arena för lärande i en mer djupgående mening.