Abstract :
The study of organizational learning is no longer in its infancy. Since Cyert and March first
introduced the notion in the early 1960s, a plethora of books and journal publications have
presented their own interpretations of the meaning and significance of the term. Despite
such endeavours, there is little common agreement about what organizational learning
represents and how future research may build cumulatively upon the many diverse
ideas articulated. The intention here is by no means to address these issues, which have
been comprehensively examined elsewhere. The purpose is rather to compare and
contrast approaches in order to analyse similarities and dissimilarities, together with research
challenges, for each approach. This is achieved by presenting a comparative framework to
categorize the literature according to (a) its prescriptive/explanatory bias and (b) in line with
the level of analysis, examining whether there is a focus on the organization as a whole or
upon individuals and their work communities instead. The review concludes by presenting
some preliminary suggestions for cross-quadrant research.
