Organizational Learning in Health and Medicine

Knowledge arguably is the chief foundational asset required for successful pursuits within health and medicine. Knowledge drives virtually every process and operation within healthcare organizations, and especially when possessed broadly by staff members across given establishments, its impact potential is unparalleled. As such, knowledge acquisition, retention, and related educational endeavors must be prioritized by healthcare providers. This calls for intensive attention to be directed toward organizational learning, given its focus on knowledge management and all that it entails. Ideally, healthcare establishments should seek to become so proficient in knowledge management that they become known as learning organizations. This requires healthcare organizations to incorporate into operations a range of action steps known to foster institutional knowledge, elevating also organizational learning as a component of the given institution’s organizational culture. If this is done, the power of knowledge can be harnessed by healthcare establishments, with expectations of its continuation as an institutional asset for as long as organizations remain dedicated to ensuring that the tenets of organizational learning remain intact. These and related nuances of knowledge, learning, and development are the focus of this chapter.