Learning histories: spanning the great divide

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest the use of a new action research methodology, the learning history, to study knowledge transfer initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of the literature on learning histories is followed by the results of a case study, where a learning history is used to transfer humanistic practices from an American health care model to a Quebec setting.

Findings

This study demonstrates how the learning history method can act as a catalyst to accelerate the knowledge transfer process. It has helped researchers and practitioners recognize and address the challenges involved in implementing change and transferring new knowledge in an organization.

Research limitations/implications

Although the learning history provides a fresh and effective way to study learning and knowledge concepts, the potential of this new methodology in studying knowledge transfer activities has not been fully explored. The limitations are primarily those associated with the amount of work involved in a developing a learning history as well as the courage and honesty it requires.

Practical implications

Approaches to improving learning from experience and descriptions about how to capture and disseminate knowledge within organizations are somewhat limited. The findings of this study offer practitioners and researchers guidance on how to accelerate the implementation of future initiatives knowledge transfer.

Originality/value

By linking learning histories to knowledge transfer, this article provides a fresh new approach to studying how knowledge can be transferred from researchers to practitioners and bridging what some have called “the great divide” between these two communities.

Citation

Parent, R., Roch, J.M. and Béliveau, J. (2007), "Learning histories: spanning the great divide", Management Research News, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 271-282. https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170710736310