GMoL S7E42 Organizational Learning with Donald Clark

Learning at Scale, from Theory to Action.

This episode explores the thinkers who shaped organizational learning—how institutions learn, adapt, and evolve. From Herbert Simon’s decision theory to Argyris and Schön’s double-loop learning, Peter Senge’s “learning organization,” Japanese knowledge creation, and Finnish activity theory, we trace how learning moved beyond individuals to become a strategic force for change. A must-listen for anyone in leadership, workplace learning, or change management.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 - Start
• 00:01:24 - Intro
• 00:02:23 - Introducing Organizational Learning
• 00:06:29 - Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001)
• 00:18:38 - Chris Argyris (1923–2013) & Donald Schön (1930–1997)
• 00:30:14 - Peter Senge (1947–)
• 00:43:17 - Ikujiro Nonaka (1935–2025) & Hirotaka Takeuchi (1946–)
• 00:57:01 - Yrjö Engeström (1948–)
• 01:07:20 - Summing up

Connect:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
• X: @johnhelmer
• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
• Website: learninghackpodcast.com