For the past several years, I have been intrigued by the concept of the Learning Organization , a term coined by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline . Semantics, you might argue, but I think the refinements are important. Let me explain them, if I may. Organization denotes an administrative and functional structure, but it connotes an association, rigidly defined and as cold as chrome.
Organizations are hierarchical.
They have charts that delineate the structure of authority. They are top-down. Communities are unified bodies of individuals, brought together not because of a shared location or a common rubric, but rather because their shared assumptions help define their membership and their purpose. In an earlier piece, I had written that traditionally schools have been teaching organizations rather than learning organizations. Teaching implies the passing along of information.