Placing organizational learning in the context of strategic management

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to place organizational learning within the context of strategic management and to explain why it is important that senior managers view training and staff development as being continuous. Practising managers will be able to appraise the way in which their organization undertakes training and staff development, and adapt the current level of thinking within the organization so that a more holistic approach to strategy formulation and implementation is adopted. Design/methodology/approach The work is based on a review of the literature and a number of case examples are referred to. A conceptual model is outlined and highlights how the organizational learning concept links training and managerial development programs with the development of organizational culture. Findings By placing training and staff development within an organizational learning context, it is possible to utilize international project groups and to develop new management practices. Practising managers will be able to use the conceptual model to devise, plan and execute a number of change‐oriented strategies. Practical implications The conceptual model can be used by human resource management specialists to devise continuing professional development programs that are tailored to individual requirements. The objective is to match the organization's requirements with the capability of the staff, and in so doing achieve internal fit. Originality/value The conceptual model outlines how organizational learning can be used to increase the organization's knowledge base and a link is made with the deployment of international project groups that can facilitate cross‐cultural decision‐making