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Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspective of Nancy Dixon, who has been at the forefront of the learning organization discussion since the 1980s. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with Dixon, and a scan of some of her works, this paper discusses several topics pertaining to the evolution of the learning organization debate, from Dixon’s perspective. Findings Dixon’s understanding of learning organizations was influenced by concepts related to action learning where people in organizations learn through meeting and talking about their problems. What distinguishes her understanding from others in that it is built more on the perspective of psychological safety, as inspired by Amy Edmonson's work. Originality/value Dixon acknowledges that her work has had more impact on the practitioner side. Dixon maintains that learning organizations are more egalitarian and move away from hierarchy. There are ethical underpinnings to this understanding as, with psychological safety, people are willing to speak up in those situations when their voices are needed to be heard.

(2020), “Dimensions of social capital and learning culture: A case of an IT organization ” In the article, the authors conduct survey-based research using the dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire and dimensions of social capital The aim of the study was to uncover whether social capital enables a learning culture The authors found a positive effect of social capital on learning culture

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the learnings from prior interviews with thought leaders in learning organization conceptual development. Prior interviews with Karen Watkins, Victoria Marsick, Michael Marquardt, Bob Garratt and Peter Senge are included in the summary, which is an interim step as The Learning Organization continues to explore the learning organization history and evolution. Design/methodology/approach The paper summarizes prior interviews to uncover commonalities and differences in the development and evolution of the learning organization concepts as described by thought leaders. Findings Both commonalities and differences exist in definition, development of theory and resilience since original publication. Common threads in concept develop appear across the authors mainly in influences by Revans, Argyris and Schön. Differences also exist in how each author developed learning organization constructs. Originality/value The synthesis reveals that although the learning organization may have differing definitions, there are commonalities that tie some concepts together. Additional interviews will be continued in the exploration of the learning organization evolution.

In this paper we consider the properties of the Pesaran (2004, 2015a) CD test for cross-section correlation when applied to residuals obtained from panel data models with many estimated parameters. We show that the presence of period-specific parameters leads the CD test statistic to diverge as length of the time dimension of the sample grows. This result holds even if cross-section dependence is correctly accounted for and hence constitutes an example of the Incidental Parameters Problem. The relevance of this problem is investigated both for the classical Time Fixed Effects estimator as well as the Common Correlated Effects estimator of Pesaran (2006). We suggest a weighted CD test statistic which re-establishes standard normal inference under the null hypothesis. Given the widespread use of the CD test statistic to test for remaining cross-section correlation, our results have far reaching implications for empirical researchers., 35+99 pages, 6+5 tables

Purpose Recognition programs have proven to be a useful tool in engaging employees and helping align them around a common purpose. In this case, study the organization created a recognition program that promoted learning across the organization. The easy to follow steps provided herein can be replicated by leaders in any organization. Design/methodology/approach The case study provides a quick reflection of the steps taken by the organization to create a recognition program that linked behaviors, tactical actions and corporate strategy in a way that engaged all toward learning together. Findings With the new program, the organization not only improved employee engagement and alignment around four critical behaviors, the organization also witnessed employee alignment around strategic vision and revenue improvements. Originality/value Studies find that employee engagement is seriously lacking. Studies also find that employee engagement is beneficial to employee contribution and employee success. Recognition programs have been described as one method to improve engagement. This case study illustrates how an organization was able to implement such a program.

The importance of units that influence a large number of other units in a network has become increasingly recognized in the literature. In this paper we propose a new method to detect such pervasive units by basing our analysis on unit-specific residual error variances subject to suitable adjustments due to the multiple testing issues involved. Accordingly, a sequential multiple testing (SMT) procedure is proposed, which allows identification of pervasive units (if any) without a priori knowledge of the interconnections amongst cross-section units or availability of a short list of candidate units to search over. The proposed method is applicable even if the cross-section dimension exceeds the time series dimension, and most importantly it could end up with none of the units selected as pervasive when this is in fact the case. The SMT procedure exhibits satisfactory small-sample performance in Monte Carlo simulations and compares well relative to existing approaches. We apply the SMT detection method to sectoral indices of U.S. industrial production, U.S. house price changes by states, and the rates of change of real GDP and real equity prices across the world’s largest economies.

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspective of Professor Bob Garratt and presents an interesting evolution toward his work on learning boardroom members. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with Professor Garratt, the authors capture several topics pertaining to his evolution of learning organization concepts, those who have differing views and ultimately what led him to develope his theories on the impact of the most senior members of an organization on the learning constructs. Findings The learning organization debate has many foundations that today have led to differing perspectives. Professor Garratt provides his particular background and how he developed his opinions, which he admits have not always been embraced in practice. Originality/value The discussion with Bob Garratt reveals his understanding of the learning organization concept and how it developed from a lifetime of practical application. Ultimately, the reader will understand, in Professor Garratt’s own words, where he was confronted with challenges and why his concepts evolved to where they are today.

Purpose The “Implication for practitioners” paper summarizes the articles within this issue of The Learning Organization in an easy-to-digest format for the practitioner audience. This paper aims to outline how in practice the structure and people and the interplay of both have an impact in creating a learning organization. Included in the paper is a summary of articles within this issue that outline different studies that can easily lead toward actions in practice. Design/methodology/approach The summary identifies specific elements from the articles within this issue that can applied in practice. Findings This issue of The Learning Organization is full of content to help practitioners think more deeply about assessing their organization and offers application of tools that can be easily applied in any organization. Practical implications The “Implication for practitioners” paper aims to outline areas where the articles can be further applied. The articles within this issue outline how structure and characteristics (or people) can provide a significant impact on developing a learning organization. Originality/value Readers can gain value in reading this summary, as it outline some of the many practical ideas outlined within the articles of this issue of The Learning Organization.

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspective of Dr Michael Marquardt and presents an interesting evolution of his work spanning three decades in the learning organization field. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with a thought-leading scholar, Dr Michael Marquardt, this paper discusses several topics pertaining to the evolution of the learning organization debate and provides his perspective on the development of his theories. Findings The learning organization debate may have differing perspectives. However, the theories foundational to Dr Marquardt’s research originated from those in the field during the 1980s and 1990s. He built upon the foundation through his consultancy work to develop his current perspective. Originality/value The discussion with Dr Marquardt reveals his perspective on the evolution of the learning organization debate. He began with similarities to others and over time built his definition based upon those areas of that he saw most impactful in practice.

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of learning organization concepts from the perspectives of Dr Victoria Marsick and Dr Karen Watkins and presents an interesting evolution of their work together spanning over three decades. Design/methodology/approach Through a conversation with thought-leading scholars Dr Victoria Marsick and Dr Karen Watkins, this paper discussed serval topics pertaining to the evolution of the learning organization debate and provides their unique perspective on the development of their theories. Findings The learning organization debate has many foundations that today have led to differing perspectives, which Dr Marsick and Dr Watkins advocate. They developed their learning organization concepts from their particular background, which varies from others. To these thought leaders, cultural aspects are the critical focus of the learning organization. Originality/value The discussion with Victoria Marsick and Karen Watkins reveals their understanding of the evolution of the contested discussion around learning organization definition and implications. The understanding of this evolution, in their words, provides context for researchers and practitioners.

The predominant way of modelling mortality rates is the lee–carter model and its many extensions. The lee–carter model and its many extensions use a latent process to forecast. These models are estimated using a two-step procedure that causes an inconsistent view on the latent variable. This paper considers identifiability issues of these models from a perspective that acknowledges the latent variable as a stochastic process from the beginning. We call this perspective the plug-in age–period or plug-in age–period–cohort model. Defining a parameter vector that includes the underlying parameters of this process rather than its realizations, we investigate whether the expected values and covariances of the plug-in lee–carter models are identifiable. It will be seen, for example, that even if in both steps of the estimation procedure we have identifiability in a certain sense it does not necessarily carry over to the plug-in models.

Existing econometric approaches for studying price discovery presume that the number of markets are small, and their properties become suspect when this restriction is not met. They also require making identifying restrictions and are in many cases not suitable for statistical inference. The current paper takes these shortcomings as a starting point to develop a factor analytical approach that makes use of the cross-sectional variation of the data, yet is very user-friendly in that it does not involve any identifying restrictions or obstacles to inference.

The use of factor-augmented panel regressions has become very popular in recent years. Existing methods for such regressions require that the common factors are strong, an assumption that is likely to be mistaken in practice. Motivated by this, the current article offers an analysis of the effect of weak, semi-weak, and semi-strong factors on two of the most popular estimators for factor-augmented regressions, namely, principal components (PC) and common correlated effects (CCE).

The cross-section average (CA) augmentation approach of Pesaran (A simple panel unit root test in presence of cross-section dependence. Journal of Applied Econometrics 2007; 22: 265–312) and Pesaran et al. (Panel unit root test in the presence of a multifactor error structure. Journal of Econometrics 2013; 175: 94–115), and the principal components-based panel analysis of non-stationarity in idiosyncratic and common components (PANIC) of Bai and Ng (A PANIC attack on unit roots and cointegration. Econometrica 2004; 72: 1127–1177; Panel unit root tests with cross-section dependence: a further investigation. Econometric Theory 2010; 26: 1088–1114) are among the most popular ‘second-generation’ approaches for cross-section correlated panels. One feature of these approaches is that they have different strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of the current paper is to develop PANICCA, a combined approach that exploits the strengths of both CA and PANIC. (Less)

This paper reflects upon a three-step process to expand the problem definition in the early stages of an action learning project. The process created a community-powered problem-solving approach within the action learning context. The simple three steps expanded upon in the paper create independence, dependence, and inter-dependence to aid the interaction of an action learning team as they uncovered the problem. The author recounts how his action learning project created steps of independence that captured divergent thoughts from throughout the organization; dependence that merged thoughts across the diverse group; and inter-dependence that built system thinking focused on horizontal impact across the organization. Readers can replicate the steps in future action learning projects to define the root cause problems before chasing the symptoms toward solutions. Project leaders who do not caste their nets widely during the problem definition stage may find their team solving the easy-to-catch symptoms.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework to assist members of an inter-company structure in understanding the partner company's interest in interacting and advancing toward a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a framework outlining the differing patterns of interaction between the two separate organizations and describes how each of the differing interactions should be used to align the learning system. Without understanding the 4 Cs from the side of both companies, the interaction may misalign, and the shared vision of learning may fail. Findings – In order to best ensure consistency in knowledge sharing across the organizations, the L&D practitioner in conjunction with the sales and marketing arm of the organization should examine the interactions and identify the patterns of interaction before developing a learning system engaging the partner organization. Practical implications – Managing the patterns of interaction through an understanding of the 4 Cs allows the organizations to quickly understand why learning systems are failing and where conflicts may arise. Originality/value – The paper offers a conceptual framework for senior managers to consider when they enter into an inter-company interaction. The example is set in a wholesale distributor model; however, the framework can provide the L&D professionals areas into which they can expand traditional learning environments when working across company boundaries.

The importance of units with pervasive impacts on a large number of other units in a network has become increasingly recognized in the literature. In this paper we propose a new method to detect such pervasive units by basing our analysis on unit-speci c residual error variances in the context of a standard factor model, subject to suitable adjustments due to multiple testing. Our proposed method allows us to estimate and identify pervasive units having neither a priori knowledge of the interconnections amongst cross-section units nor a short list of candidate units. It is applicable even if the cross section dimension exceeds the time dimension, and most importantly it could end up with none of the units selected as pervasive when this is in fact the case. The sequential multiple testing procedure proposed exhibits satisfactory small-sample performance in Monte Carlo simulations and compares well relative to existing approaches. We apply the proposed detection method to sectoral indices of US industrial production, US house price changes by states, and the rates of change of real GDP and real equity prices across the world's largest economies.

This paper investigates how classical measurement error and additive outliers (AO) influence tests for structural change based on F-statistics. We derive theoretically the impact of general additive disturbances in the regressors on the asymptotic distribution of these tests for structural change. The small sample properties in the case of classical measurement error and AO are investigated via Monte Carlo simulations, revealing that sizes are biased upwards and that powers are reduced. Two-wavelet-based denoising methods are used to reduce these distortions. We show that these two methods can significantly improve the performance of structural break tests.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate steps that a manufacturer can deploy to improve social interaction, learning, and application while facilitating a system of learning across a wholesale distribution channel. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a model of how a manufacturer-improved social interaction, learning, and application with their wholesale distribution network using five simple and consistent steps: Excite, Engage, Experience, Execute, and Evaluate. Findings – The 5 E's provided a consistent method for the manufacturer to engage the wholesale distributor in social interactions centered around learning, the L&D practitioner should evaluate the use of the 5 E's as they integrate learning into sales and marketing initiatives. Practical implications – Using the 5 E's to create social interactions within the learning system allows the manufacturer to manage knowledge sharing and knowledge application with the wholesale distributor. Originality/value – The conceptual paper outlines the 5 E's utilized by a manufacturer and provides a checklist of practical elements in each step. The model and checklist provides the L&D professional methods which she can use to expand traditional learning environments across sales and marketing.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between actions taken by front-line managers and actions taken by employees as the organization progresses toward a new-shared vision. The shared vision to alter the organization's learning structures was communicated by the leadership team. The research evaluates if the actions speak louder than the words. Design/methodology/approach – The actions analyzed in the study are completion of curriculum courses designed by the Learning and Professional Development team to progress the organization toward the new vision. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation was calculated to determine the nature and strength of the relationship or learning actions between the employee and first line managers. Findings – Results indicate that a moderate positive relationship exists between employee and first line manager actions. The relationship highlights the importance of integrating an action element into the launch of a new-shared vision. Originality/value – Shared visions are a fundamental building block in reaching generative learning. One method to improve employee internalization of the shared vision is to create actions whereby the employee can experience elements of the vision. These experiences further the communications and build steps toward employee commitment and internalization.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a manufacturer improved the interaction within the channel to facilitate a system of learning between three subsequent customer levels. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an example of how a manufacturer designed steps to change the traditional interactions between the customer levels and place themselves in the middle of a knowledge-sharing environment. Findings – To best ensure consistency in knowledge sharing across the multiple levels, the learning and development (L&D) practitioner should examine the interactions and identify the unique benefits to encourage all members to freely engage in the learning system. Practical implications – Managing the learning system allows the manufacturer to manage knowledge sharing and reinforce a consistent message. Originality/value – The paper offers the steps undertaken and the benefits resulting from the improved interactions. The example provides the L&D professionals areas into which they can expand traditional learning environments.

A popular approach to factor-augmented panel regressions is the common correlated effects (CCE) estimator of Pesaran (2006). This paper points to a problem with the CCE approach that appears in the empirically relevant case when the number of factors is strictly less than the number of observables used in their estimation. Specifically, the use of too many observables causes the second moment matrix of the estimated factors to become asymptotically singular, an issue that has not yet been appropriately accounted for. The purpose of the present paper is to fill this gap in the literature.

Organizational identification and learning organization dimensions both have been shown to create positiveorganizational impacts. Although both concepts are closely related in their origins from social context, limitedstudies exist to uncover if these concepts are interrelated and none appear in the context of a franchise organization.This study explored the relationship between the perception of organizational identification and perceptions oflearning organization dimensions in a medium-sized, U.S.-based franchise organization with 81 franchisees.The study used a quantitative research design and a 35-item survey instrument. The survey instrument consisted ofthree sections: (a) demographic questions, (b) organizational identification questions from Edwards and Peccei’s(2007) instrument, and (c) dimension of the learning organization questions from Watkins and Marsick’s (2003)dimension of the learning organization questionnaire.A total of 51 respondents completed the survey instrument. Descriptive statistics and correlations using Pearsonproduct-moment correlation coefficients were analyzed.The findings suggested that the descriptive statistics from a franchise network were no different from those fromprevious studies in numerous different business formats, which indicated that the relationships within the franchisebeing studied were similar to those within an integrated organization. Furthermore, the study concluded that withinthis franchise there was a correlation between organizational identification and learning organization dimension,which leads to new areas for further theoretical exploration and practical application. Implications include newmethods to manage a franchise network and further considerations in utilizing both organizational identification andlearning organization mechanisms simultaneously to create the greatest positive impact of both.

The Hidden Markov Model (HMM) has been widely used in regime classification and turning point detection for econometric series after the decisive paper by Hamilton (1989). The present paper will show that when using HMM to detect the turning point in cyclical series, the accuracy of the detection will be influenced when the data are exposed to high volatilities or combine multiple types of cycles that have different frequency bands. Moreover, outliers will be frequently misidentified as turning points. The present paper shows that these issues can be resolved by wavelet multi-resolution analysis based methods. By providing both frequency and time resolutions, the wavelet power spectrum can identify the process dynamics at various resolution levels. We apply a Monte Carlo experiment to show that the detection accuracy of HMMs is highly improved when combined with the wavelet approach. Further simulations demonstrate the excellent accuracy of this improved HMM method relative to another two change point detection algorithms. Two empirical examples illustrate how the wavelet method can be applied to improve turning point detection in practice.