Project‐based industries, like the construction industry, are probably the most in need of a learning culture and yet may be least open to such philosophies. The paper gives a brief overview of the UK construction industry and then reports on a survey of attempts to engender learning which...

Drawing on research based on interviews with small firms in north‐east England, looks at the process of learning in and by small organisations (with 50 or fewer employees). Finds that the dominant culture of small organisations points to the need to develop alternative approaches to HRD that...

The Stumbling Stone method is a practical way of establishing a learning organisation. Mobilising employees bridges the gap between the legitimate system and the shadow system of the company. The method takes into account the view of the organisation as a complex adaptive system and provides...

This paper draws on case and interview material, from research with entrepreneurs in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to examine the process of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning in SMEs. The cases have been drawn from different sectors including services, manufacturing and...

As organizations move toward organizational learning the responsibilities of members change. Organizational members, themselves, should be giving consideration to what these new responsibilities should be, rather than leaving this task to management. Six possible responsibilities are suggested...

It is often assumed by management in different workplaces that the people who work there acquire their training before they take up a job or that they are trained in their job. Learning is a lifelong process that should be embraced by all workers. Increasing interest is being placed on companies...

This paper reports findings from five case studies of New Zealand organisations that introduced new initiatives such as TQM and “learning organisation” concepts as a result of facing a business environment of continuous change and uncertainty. The case studies, carried out between 1993‐96,...

Sets out the agenda for, and examines the findings from, the initial stage of a longer‐term project aimed at identifying the constraints which guide what are portrayed as self‐managed learning initiatives leading to the creation of “learning organisations”. At this stage the project has...