The learning organisation and reflective practice

Learning Objectives

After considering this resource you should have a better understanding of the implications of the concept of a learning organisation for social work practice.

Pair of hands

This extract from the introduction to Social Work, Critical Reflection and the Learning Organization, edited by. Nick Gould and Mark Baldwin (Ashgate, 2004) frames learning as an ongoing process embedded in an organisational context.

Nick Gould charts the evolution of the concept of the learning organisation and discusses its relationship to change processes and reflective practice.

He also explores the roles of formal and practice knowledge in working life and the interplay between individual and collective learning.

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  1. How much do you (and/or could you) use formal research to guide your practice?
  2. Is there anything you can do either personally or at an organisational level to prevent managerialism being a barrier to reflective practice?
  3. How can social work's experience with issues of power and discrimination feed into the idea of the learning organisation?
  4. What challenges does the idea of learning as a continuous process of change and adaptation pose for social work organisations?

Reference:
Eds. N Gould and M Baldwin (2004) Social Work, Critical Reflection and the Learning Organization. Ashgate.

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