Designing the Smart Organization

Roland Deiser, founder of the European Corporate Learning Forum, makes informed, interesting points about all aspects of learning in this intriguing, useful book. Some of his charges against “traditional” learning may seem like straw man attacks that he sets up just to knock them down, but his objectives are clear. For instance, he criticizes classroom learning as distinct from the real world – and removed from ethical consideration and action – in order to say that it should be the opposite. Likewise, some of his distinctions among levels of learning (such as “political” or “social” learning) impel analysis, as he says, but may not matter as much in practice. Such caveats aside, much of what Deiser offers is exciting. He starts with a multistage theoretical overview of learning, especially learning in the corporate environment, then moves on to discuss 10 cases studies. Each of these differs wildly from the next, demonstrating evocative possibilities and challenges in corporate learning. Readers are sure to find inspiration and possible models in these case studies. getAbstract recommends Deiser’s book to CEOs, trainers, HR personnel and other executives who want to foster learning.