COGNITIVE-STYLE AND THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS

This paper reviews aspects of two largely disparate Literatures from t he adjacent fields of individual and organizational learning and ident ifies some implications for theory and practice. The focus of attentio n is the extent to which the individual level construct cognitive styl e can be meaningfully applied to aid the understanding of learning at the level of the organization as well as at the level of the individua l. Attention is given to the ways in which consideration of cognitive style can improve the effectiveness of interventions designed to impro ve individual and organizational performance. Nine categories of inter vention are identified.