Revisiting Learning Organisations: Case Study of a Leading Power CPSU of India

Abstract

In this paper an attempt has been made to study and present the tenets of Learning Organisations through a case study of a leading Power Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) of the Government of India. A brief macro level description of the different types of generic organisation designs has been given as the backdrop, beginning broadly from the classical understanding of Taylor, Fayol and Webers Classical Organisation designs. Another way in which this paper traces the movement is through understandings such as Mechanistic Organisations and Process-driven Organisations. As a natural progression, contemporary Knowledge-based Organisation Designs are discussed next in brief, before moving on to Organic Organisations and finally to Learning Organisations. Towards this end, this paper researches and maps out the exciting facets of the multidimensional Learning Organisations, laden with potential for further research. With this objective, after discussing briefly three international examples of Learning Organisations, results of a research study carried out in a leading Central Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power are briefly enumerated as a case study to highlight learning organisations.

Keywords: Organisation, Classical Theories, Knowledge Management, Organic Organisations, Learning Organisations

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