From individual learning to organizational learning

In the last few years several theoretical models of organizational learning were developed from the perspective of diverse disciplines. One of the most influential models is that of Crossan, Lane and White (1999), who believe that organizational learning occurs through four processes (intuiting, interpreting, integrating and institutionalizing) and in two ways: from the individual to the organization (feed forward) and from the organization to the individual (feedback). This model, however, attributes to intuiting (defined by the authors as the preconscious recognition of the pattern and/or possibilities inherent in a personal stream of experience p. 525) the whole explanation for individual learning, ignoring the influence of conscious learning processes. Zietsma, Winn, Branzei and Vertinsky (2002) introduce two modifications to the model: the process of attending and the process of experimenting. The value of their proposal lies in the recognition of the influence of a conscious process in learning, namely attention. Attending, however, is just one of the many processes that intervene in individual learning. Castaneda and Perez (2005) make a contribution to the original model of Crossan, Lane and White (1999) by redefining individual learning from the perspective of social cognitive theory as developed by Albert Bandura (1986). The result is an integration of human capabilities and learning sub-processes beyond mere intuition that excludes other cognitive processes and forms of conscious learning. Humans have the capacity for symbolization, forethought, learning through modeling, self-regulation and self-reflection. Individual conscious learning includes the process of attention; yet, at the same time (according to Bandura, 1986), it includes three other processes: retention, production and motivation. This paper presents an improvement proposal at the group level of the model, adding two conscious processes: conversation and social modeling. Finally, a case is described with examples of each of the new introduced processes, at the individual and group levels.