Reflection as a catalyst for organisational learning

Abstract

This article takes a psychological perspective on organisational learning, putting reflection into the centre of attention. We argue that (1) organisational learning is based on individual and team learning at work, (2) reflection is the driving force that leads to organisational learning and (3) cumulation of the staff's reflection outcomes allows for integration of individual and team learning into organisational best practice. Building on a vast amount of theory in this area, we provide a refined psychological model of the socio-cognitive processes of reflective learning within organisations including the initiation and the termination of reflection. Further, we discuss in depth the role of reflection for organisational learning in the light of recent theories of organisational learning.

Keywords:

• workplace learning
• reflection
• organisational learning
• team learning
• reflective learning

Acknowledgements

The project MIRROR – Reflective learning at work is funded under the FP7 of the European Commission (project number 257617). Further information can be found at http://www.mirror-project.eu. The Knowledge Media Research Center (KMRC) is an extra-faculty research institute. Its responsible body is the non-profit foundation under non-public law ‘Media in Education’. The institute is co-funded by the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Baden-Württemberg. The KMRC is member of the Leibniz Association. The Know-Center is funded within the Austrian COMET Program – Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies – under the auspices of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and by the State of Styria. COMET is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG. We thank three anonymous reviewers and David Boud for their comprehensive and valuable comments on an earlier version of this article.