PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE IN A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

There is a growing tendency for learning in the workplace to be seen a s a managerial function rather than as the responsibility of education alists. As managers prepare to take a more active role in facilitating professional education, they need to consider the extent to which the ir organizational arrangements help or hinder the learning of professi onal skills. There is a potential risk that the development of importa nt clinical practice skills may be inadvertently overlooked, because o f the kind of organizational arrangements in force. This paper outline s alternative approaches to organizational development, explaining the basis for implementing 'holographic principles' when planning a syste m. A situational analysis carried out in an inner-city community provi der unit revealed an alternative, more directive and fragmented arrang ement. The analysis is used to illustrate how a focus on developing th e organization as a learning environment during periods of rapid and m ultiple change can also help to promote clinical nursing skills.