Metaphors and images are powerful tools that shape how we perceive and interact with the world (Morgan, 1986, 1993). The presumptions we carry about people, places, and things guide our expectations and actions; and the words we use to label, characterize, or describe our world embed or reflect what those presumptions are. It is no different in the domain of organization studies. The labels we give to our constructs carry with them meanings and assumptions that, although usually unstated, guide our hypothesis making and testing, and the actions of those who apply our theories.
In this chapter I examine images and characterizations that pertain to the nature of learning in and of organizations. In particular I offer and advocate a view of ‘organizations as learning portfolios’ by specifying presumptions necessary to substantiate this image and identifying critical dimensions and their implications, both theoretical and practical. Part of this elaboration is to differentiate the image from that of ‘the learning organization’ which has become a customary way to juxtapose the words ‘learning’ and ‘organization.’ To exemplify an organization as a learning portfolio, I include and draw from a case study of FIAT Auto.
An image of ‘organizations as learning portfolios’ affirms the multi-dimensionality of learning in and of organizations. This perspective has significant implications for the design of interventions to promote learning and change. Instead of viewing organizations as monoliths and then prescribing singular learning practices that are universally viewed as optimal (i.e. ‘best practices’), advocates for organizational effectiveness respond to the particularities that exist within complex organizations by choosing to manage multiple learning activities. Specific activities are valued for their unique contributions and for the synergistic possibilities created through their complementarity with other activities. What is valued is not the best form or type of learning but a breadth of learning activities, relative effectiveness, and alignment with the organization’s mission.