Inayatullah S.. 2007. The Learning and Healing Organization. Questioning the Future: Methods and Tools for Organizational and Societal Transformation.

Aim/objectives: 

Proposes the concept of a healing organization as an addition to learning organizations.

Geographic Focus: 

Methods: 

Key Findings: 

The inner health of an organization should not be overlooked in the creation and evaluation of a learning organisation. Organizations may be considered to be learning organisations when assessed by specific criteria, but may nonetheless fail to adequately address deeper crises of wellbeing and connection. For this reason, organizational success should consider the healing organization alongside its capacity as a learning organization. The inner health of an organization, reflected by happy people, leads to improved, more meaningful, and sustained outcomes.

Lessons: 

This article represents a timely reminder that is both simple and profound: the process of learning should be enjoyable. In turbulent times, where broad societal change can be both troubling and challenging for individuals and collectives, the need for learning can overwhelm more fundamental needs of human wellbeing such as joy, contentment, sense-making and deeper meaning. The central lesson for adaptive learning is that learning should not only be about critical performance criteria, but should include cycles of wellness in which an organisation and its people reflect happiness.