Relation between Organization Structure and Organizational Learning

In the last blog we continue the discussion on the challenges that are faced in creating a system for organizational learning. In today's blog we try to understand the link between organization structure and organizational learning. 

To understand the relation between structure and organizational learning, it would be extremely useful if we could put the forms of organizational structures on a continuous spectrum. At one end would be Adhocracy (Recollect from this blog the classes of organization by Mintzberg) where we have find the organization structure cutting across the normal structure lines of the organization to exploit the opportunities and solve problem. At the other end one could imagine a very "Japanese Organization" (J Form) where in formal teams etc exists and the learning is more of a cumulative exercise. 

J-Form of Organization does comprise of organizations that are good at cumulative learning, the innovativeness of these organizations is designed by the organization specific collective competencies and problem solving routines. 

Adhocracy - relies more on individual expertise organized in flexible market oriented project teams the individual expertise enables the organization to respond quickly to changes in knowledge and skills and integrating new kinds of expertise to generate radical new products and processes.

Understanding each of these would require a separate blog, so we just initiate the discussion today and would continue it over the next few blogs.