The University and the Church are mankind's most enduring institutions.
Companies and associations, in contrast, have shorter lifespans. Why? The
answer is, societal support and strong core values which produce
resistance to change. In the case of the University, this includes
persistent 'siloing' or separation of operational / interest groups
(colleges and departments).
For example: Colleges of Arts and Sciences within Universities consist of
many separate departments which have precious little to do with one
another. (The traditional Arts & Sciences concept itself implies two
immiscible areas of study with a wide gulf in between.) As a result,
cross-fertilization of ideas between departments is rare. It's very
difficult for faculty to sponsor 'multi-disciplinary' or
'cross-disciplinary' classes because the University accounting system and
culture fight against the idea.
Learning organizations must share and circulate new ideas to survive. The
University survives because of its place in society and culture, and
because of it's conservative institutional stance and cachet. Not because
of it's 'knowledge organization' qualities, if it has any!
I suggest that if a corporation operated the way Universities did, it'd be
dead even quicker than normal. I think those who suggest the corporation
of the future will operate on a 'collegial' basis have an idealized view
of knowledge transfer in the University which is a far cry from reality.
Neil Olonoff
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com>
Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>