Future leaders: putting learning and knowledge to work

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to share findings and offer insight on putting organizational learning and knowledge to work in future organizations. Design/methodology/approach - The need for ``adaptive leadership'' is stressed in managing organizational change. The characteristics of those leaders are identified and shown to be essential in implementing knowledge management and achieving organizational results. Findings - Competent and trustworthy leaders, applying learning and facilitation skills as they encourage workforce conversation and dialogue, will be better able to maintain organizational support and customer attention in matters of concern to their organizations. Social implications - Leaders who embrace and demonstrate skills in organizational learning, knowledge management, and who are adaptive to changing situations are more likely to empower their workforce in a manner consistent with the expectations of tomorrow's workforce. Originality/value - While there is no model to fully represent the respective interests and motivations of the future organization and its workforce, common expectations regarding the need for social system integration and teamwork is well established. Leaders who use learning and knowledge management to clarify and stimulate organizational action toward customer requirements and satisfaction are models of high performance.