Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe dynamic systems perspective illuminates some of the core challenges in organizational learning. If learning occurs through experience, there are good reasons why organizations often fail to learn. In particular, large organizations face a class of systemic decision‐making situations in which learning is extremely unlikely. The systems perspective teaches us that cause and effect are often not close in time and space, that obvious interventions do not always produce obvious outcomes, and that long time delays, and systemic effects of actions can make it almost impossible to judge the effectiveness of those actions. This article presents a framework for organizational learning, outlines several breakdowns that thwart the learning process, and discusses how systems thinking can play an important role in helping organizations overcome the learning breakdowns through the design and implementation of managerial practice fields.

Social Capital and Health discusses social capital—a concept that originated in the social sciences—and its application to the field of public health. The editors take care to define the concept of social capital, describe its theoretical origins, and discuss the controversies and debates surrounding the use of the concept in public health research and practice. The book provides a comprehensive 'tool kit' of current approaches to measure social capital. Further, the book surveys the empirical evidence linking social capital to physical and mental health outcomes, health-related behaviors (like smoking), and aging-related outcomes.