Re: Intro -- Kerry Cochrane LO21

Kerry Cochrane (kcochran@oac.usyd.edu.au)
Mon, 6 Feb 95 09:59:32 +1000

What Thomas had to say about the use of the learning organisation concept
in adult education prompts me to introduce myself having been in
interested bystander for the past couple of weeks.

I'm a lecturer in Management Communication at an agribusiness business
management college in the central west of NSW at the University of Sydney,
Orange Agricultural College,Australia.

I have been interested in the learning organisation concept for several
years and in 1994 introduced a module of study called The Learning
Organisation into a module of study for students studying for a degree in
management. The unit of study uses learning contracts and as such students
negotiate with the staff facilitator and members of their learning group (
each students is a member of a management learning group). They then
submit their project at the end of the semester for approval by the
facilitator and members of their group. Our students,study by the internal
or external mode. Those studying externally are linked to each other via
teleconferences.

A number of students have been using our notes on the learning
organisation to do research into their own organisation to determine how
it compares with the ideal. I am about to assess their works so cannot
comment on the outcomes at this stage.

I also use Gregory Bateson's concept of Categories of Learning inorder to
get across the concept of a learning organisation. This is something that
Senge doesn't explore which is a pity.

There are also some english texts on the learning organisaion/learning
company concept and I refer you to works by Mike Pedler, John Burgoyne and
Tom Boydell. One of their publications is called THe Learning Company. Now
that I am in I look forward to the dialogue.

kerry cochrane
From: "Kerry Cochrane" <kcochran@oac.usyd.edu.au>