| In recent years, new theories that define a learning organization (Senge, 1990) have been proposed (Senge, 1990 & 2000; Martin, 2001; Tierney, 1999; Aubrey & Scott, 2000) as an organizational model for evolutionary change and in response to crisis in universities. However, no models of the university as a learning organization were found. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to develop a conceptual model of the university as a learning organization and (2) to conduct a case study of a university to refine and validate the relevancy of the conceptual model.; A conceptual model was developed using Senge's (1990) five disciplines of a learning organization: Personal Mastery, Shared Vision, Team Learning, Mental Models, and Systems Thinking. Each of the disciplines was defined by four levels of institutional involvement: (1) essence or value (state of being or mastery of a discipline) as the core; (2) principles or policies (guiding ideas or insights); (3) practices ("what is done"); and, (4) outcomes (expected results if a university was a learning organization).; Twenty-five University and State leaders were purposively chosen to represent various levels of the University's governance structure. Interviews were conducted using an interview protocol developed to explore the existence and relevance of the components of the conceptual model. An audit of the study's data collection processes and interpretations confirmed the "reasonableness" of the findings.; Findings of the study included: (1) Components of the conceptual model were present in the University and valued by the interviewees; (2) Reflection was added as a sixth discipline to the model; (3) Lack of clarity about the connection between organizational health and organizational/individual outcomes; and, (4) Perception of faculty isolation and lack of involvement with the organization. The last two issues should be validated through future research as their existence would have implications for further refinement of the model. |
