Diagnosing and measuring learning organizations

Purpose – To explore and analyse various learning organizations and to attempt to outline the form of a holistic learning organization. Design/methodology/approach – The tool described in this article is a continuation of the work published in a Licentiate thesis in 1996 and developed further in a doctoral dissertation in 2001. The Learning Organization Diamond Tool is based on a holistic concept of a learning organization being regarded as a structure of related elements: driving forces, finding purpose, questioning, empowering and evaluation at two interconnected levels of individuals and the whole. Data from 686 respondents were gathered from 25 Finnish organizations in 1998. Findings – The outcomes of the study are mainly presented in the form of imaginary diamonds complying with the basic framework. In 24 organizations the individuals placed more trust in themselves and their own learning than in their organization as a learning environment. When comparing different business sectors the variation on the organizational side was clearly greater than on the individual side. Originality/value – Developing a measurement instrument for learning organizations, administering it in practice, and analysing the “learning organization portrayals” created by this tool.