Understanding Organizational Learning Through Knowledge Management

The literature on organizational learning and knowledge management over the last decade has been extensive and far-reaching. This paper analyses the proliferation of these concepts along different disciplinary perspectives by tracing their evolution. The analysis reveals that organizational learning is a diffused; ill-defined concept with little consideration made for its practical application. Knowledge management on the other hand is a medley of different approaches but lack a unifying vision. As a result, it is difficult to establish synergistic relationship between these two concepts. An attempt is made to show how knowledge management models may be used to facilitate organizational learning. The models discussed include the Intellectual Capital Model, the Socially Constructed Model and the Knowledge Category Model. Each of these models is assessed in order to determine how they contribute towards the practical realization of organizational learning. The review shows that although these models differ in terms of how knowledge is perceived and in terms of the dynamics of learning involved, each of them has the capacity to contribute in unique ways towards organizational learning. The paper proposes that attempts to seek synergistic relationships that link organizational learning and knowledge management should be examined more closely to facilitate the practical realization of organizational learning.