The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
Volume IV, Number 3 & 4, 1998
Issue Topic: Learning Organizations
New & Noteworthy
This section features an annotated list of papers, organizations, initiatives, and other resources related to the issue's theme.
Argyris, C. (1993). Knowledge for action: A guide to overcoming barriers to organizational change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. This book helps readers understand why individuals and organizations are unable to learn from their action, and presents the steps that must be taken to create change. Part One discusses how to uncover the roadblocks to improvement; Part Two suggests ways to diagnose and intervene to create learning; Part Three discusses how to use key learnings to solve problem situations. Tel: 415-433-1740. www.josseybass.com
Argyris, C.,& Schön, D. A. (1996). Organizational learning II: Theory, method, and practice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. This book expands on the ideas and concepts of the authors’ ground-breaking first book, Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective (1978). The authors address four principal questions that cut across the field of organizational learning: Why is an organization a learning venue; are real-world organizations capable of learning; what kinds of learning are desirable; and how can organizations develop their capacity for desirable kinds of learning? Tel: 800-447-2226. www.aw-bc.com
Greenwood, D. J,. & Levin, M. (1998). Introduction to action research: Democratizing the research process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. This publication provides both new and experienced researchers and practitioners with the information and skills necessary to conduct action research. It begins with a brief presentation of two cases of action research and continues with a discussion of the history, philosophy, social change agenda, methodologies, ethical arguments for, and fieldwork tools of action research. Tel: 805-499-9774. www.sagepub.com
Hess, P. M., & Mullen, E. J. (Eds.). (1995). Practitioner-researcher partnerships: Building knowledge from, in, and for practice. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers Press. The authors in this publication discuss ways to forge more successful and effective partnerships between the worlds of social work practice and social work research. Using diverse examples, they discuss the crucial characteristics that contribute to the survival and enhancement of collaborative relationships as well as key issues and obstacles. The book captures and reflects the complexities of actual partnerships in research and practice. Tel: 800-227-3590. www.naswpress.org
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday. Senge describes the five disciplines that are necessary for a learning organization: systems thinking; personal mastery; mental models; building shared vision; and team learning. Using examples, Senge discusses how to transform organizations into learning organizations.
Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., & Smith, B. J. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York: Doubleday. The authors provide the viewpoints for implementation and development of the ideas presented in the Fifth discipline. Included are exercises that promote the development of each of the five disciplines. www.fieldbook.com
Karen Horsch, Research Associate, HFRP