There seems to be a lengthy discussion running on this topic. I'll throw
something into the mix.
What is the opposite of learning? Name it - then stand back and watch the
coin flipping.
Piaget, the Swiss Developmental Psychologist, used the terms Assimilation
and Accomodation to describe two things a child can "do" with
information. Assimilation is a term that describes the process of
"fitting" information into existing cognitive structures. Accomodation is
the "change" or "shift" of a cognitive structure to take in information
that doesn't fit the current structure.
>From here, it's easy to start riffing on taxonomies of learning, paradigm
shifts, models and metaphors - and so on. But to keep it simple, I'll say
that organizations are filled with people who are behaving - and behavior
is the best thing I know to represent learning.
Back to Piaget, I think that whenever two or more of us gather there is
organization - and there "learning." We can conserve, preserve, or
maintain that which is "known" (Assimilate), or we can shake each other up
and handle information in a new way (Accomodate).
I know there is a lot of money riding on the "change or die" horse, but
there's a lot to say for respecting the other side of the Tao.
--John Rafter <rafter@viconet.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>