A CASE-STUDY OF A NETWORK AS A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Every person is connected to others through networks composed of famil y, friends, colleagues, and organizations. No doubt everyone involved in the field of social work is a part of many networks. Over the years networks have been described in various ways (Biegel, Tracy, & Corvo, 1994; Dosher, 1976; Rivera & Erlich, 1992; Rubin & Rubin, 1986; Schon , 1971). For this study a network is described as an organizational in terconnectedness for associating with others who hold similar interest s, in order to develop and access ideas, information, support, and oth er resources that enable network members to improve what they are doin g (such as provide a better service) or achieve a goal (such as the pr otection of abused children). Historically, social work has focused on understanding the nature of social support networks (Biegel, Magazine r, & Baum, 1991) and community-based interagency networks (Proven & Mi lward, 1995). There is also a trend for the formation of regional and national interorganizational human service networks. Despite the proli feration of networks at all levels of the human service field, a good deal of what has been written about organizational networks has been a theoretical, and we know little about their inner workings. The purpos e of this study was twofold: (1) to identify the organizational charac teristics of an established regional interorganizational human service network; and (2) to evaluate the impact of an interorganizational net work on members and their agencies. Furthermore, a post hoc examinatio n of the findings suggests that the network under study manifests many of the characteristics of a learning organization (Senge, 1990). Acco rding to Senge, a learning organization is ''where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where n ew and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective a spiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how t o learn together'' (p. 4). Senge proposes that there are five core dis ciplines of a learning organization which empowers: (1) personal maste ry, (2) mental models, (3) shared vision, (4) team building, and (5) s ystems thinking. The discussion section of the study proposes ways in which the paradigm of a learning organization can be applied to an int erorganizational network. Implications of the findings are also presen ted.