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Two of the most critical issues facing business today are globalization and learning. Becoming a global learning organization is now essential for success in the marketplace. Based on research and experience with 50 organizations identified as learning organizations, the author noted 19 attributes or dimensions which were common to most of these organizations, namely: individual learning; group learning; streamlined structure; corporate learning culture; empowerment; environmental scanning; knowledge creation and transfer; learning technology; quality; learning strategy; supportive atmosphere; teamwork and networking; vision; acculturization; borders; globalization; language; leadership; and workforce diversity. Professor Marquardt concludes with 14 steps or actions which a company might consider in building itself into a global learning organization.

The problem and the solution. Globalization, an inevitable and irreversible force, has significantly affected the workplace and the community, in ways both good and bad. Human resource development's (HRD's) response and impact has been minimal and at a mostly micro level. This article discusses seven key macro areas in which HRD can maximize the beneficial elements of globalization and limit its dehumanizing forces, namely, (a) political development, (b) economic development, (c) organizational and workplace learning, (d) education and vocational training, (e) global leadership development, (f) technology and knowledge, and (g) environment sustainability.

Action learning has the ability to solve complex problems and to significantly increase the speed and quality of individual, team and organizational learning. Its theoretical base and relationship to adult learning orientations and the source of this power remain relatively unexplored. The authors conducted an extensive review of the literature in order to examine how each of the six critical components of an action learning program (namely; a problem or task, a group, the reflective inquiry process, action, learning, and an action learning coach) incorporates and applies five major adult learning schools (behaviorist, cognitivist, humanist, social and constructivist). An empirical example from the authors' experience is presented to illustrate the extent and range in which action learning incorporates each of the five schools of adult learning.

OverviewEmphasizing and implementing powerful training and development programs are becoming more critical in order to accomplish organizational objectives and goals