learning organizations

Organizations in the United States are constantly changing. Some are changing for the better and others are changing for the worse. Those that are successfully changing are most likely considered learning organizations. These learning organizations are constantly learning and incorporating new knowledge into their everyday work. They all have a lot in common in the way they go about their day to day and long term operations. I would like to discuss some specific organizations and why they are considered learning organizations. Before examining a few organizations, lets look at what a learning organization is and what some characteristics of learning organizations are. A learning organization is one of any size that encourages an environment of learning and progress. An organization can come in many different forms. It can be a large business, a small local business with a few employees, a school or non profit organization. The vision may be the most important aspect of a learning organization. Looking toward the future and constantly trying to improve and evolve will make a successful learning organization. Richard Karash has said "A 'Learning Organization' is one in which people at all levels, individually and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about"(Karash). In his book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization, Peter Senge talks about the five disciplines that make up a successful learning organization. Those five disciplines are shared vision, mental models, personal mastery, team learning, and systems thinking. Mastering these five disciplines may take a lifetime but practicing them day in and day out is essential to a successful learning organization. Having a shared vision is asking the question What do "we want to create together?" The right mindset and belief of success is behind the mental models. Personal mastery is making sure that you are self aware and are