Managers as facilitators of learning in learning organizations

The concept of learning organization has received considerable attention in the literature, but from a scholarly perspective little empirical research has been done in this area. This article reports on a qualitative study in which the critical incident technique was used to examine the perceptions of managers regarding their beliefs, behaviors, triggers, and outcomes when they serve as facilitators of learning for their employees. An overview of the major findings are provided from a macrolevel perspective. The results suggest that there are specific behavior sets that define the role of facilitator of learning for managers in this study. Implications for practice are discussed and recommendations for further research are provided.