Cognitive Style and the Theory and Practice of Individual and Collective Learning in Organizations

This paper reviews aspects of two largelydisparate literatures from the adjacent fields ofindividual and organizational learning and identifiessome implications for theory and practice. The focus of attention is the extent to which the individuallevel construct cognitive style can be meaningfullyapplied to aid the understanding of learning at thelevel of the organization as well as at the level of the individual. Attention is given to theways in which consideration of cognitive style canimprove the effectiveness of interventions designed toimprove individual and organizational performance. Nine categories of intervention areidentified.