This research describes efforts to develop and validate a multidimensional measure of the learning organization. An instrument was developed based on a critical review of both the conceptualization and practice of this construct. Supporting validity evidence for the instrument was obtained from several sources, including best model-data fit among alternative measurement models, nomological network among dimensions of the learning organization, and organizational performance outcomes. Acceptable reliability estimates were obtained for the seven proposed dimensions. Consequently, the instrument, Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire, was recommended for use in organizational studies.In the past, organizational researchers have focused their work on conceptualization of the learning organization, identifying characteristics of such enterprises that have the capacity to learn, adapt, and change. A number of approaches to defining the construct have emerged.Systems Thinking. Senge (1990) defines the learning organization as an organization that possesses not only an adaptive capacity but also "generativity"-that is, the ability to create alternative futures. Senge identifies the five disciplines that a learning organization should possess: team learning-emphasis on the learning activities of the group rather than on the development of team process; shared visions-ability to unearth shared "pictures of the future" that foster genuine commitment and enrollment rather than compliance; mental models-deeply held internal images of how the world works; personal mastery-continually clarifying and deepening personal vision, focusing energies, developing patience, and seeing reality objectively; and system thinking-ability to see interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect chains.

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With the current expansion of the global economy and the fast-changing evolution of technology and innovation, organizations are facing an ongoing need for employee learning and development. As knowledge increasingly becomes a key factor for productivity, it has also become a currency for competitive success. Understanding factors that contribute to organizational learning and the transfer of knowledge to the workplace environment are essential to 279

Despite the considerable scholarly attention that has been devoted to the concept of the learning organization, Jacobs (1995) Note: The authors wish to thank the editors and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful and helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. The authors also wish to thank Drs. Karen E. Watkins, Victoria J. Marsick, and Judy O'Neil for allowing the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) instrument to be used for this research study.

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