View Learning Organization in a Situational Perspective

Learning organization is an emerging management theory that many scholars and practitioners focus on recent years. However, it is not always applicable for all organizations. After reviewing the concept of learning organization and debates from scholars worldwide, this article analyzes some factors may impact the form of an organization, which include external environment, business strategy, technology and its transformation, the stage and scale of the organization and institutional culture. From the situational view, the author conclude that learning organization is not the only right option for every organization all the time, bureaucratic organization and organizational unlearning might be the alternative options to obtain the competitive advantages. The organization should keep a continuous adjustment accordingly.