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Many organizations now utilize action learning, and it is applied increasingly throughout the world. Action learning appears in numerous variants, but generically it is a form of learning through experience, “by doing”, where the task environment is the classroom, and the task the vehicle. Two previous reviews of the action learning literature by Alan Mumford respectively covered the field prior to 1985 and the period 1985‐1994. Both reviews included books as well as journal articles. This current review covers the period 1994‐2000 and is limited to publicly available journal articles. Part 1 of the Review was published in an earlier issue of the Journal of Workplace Learning (Vol. 15 No. 2) and included a bibliography and comments. Part 2 extends that introduction with a schema for categorizing action learning articles and with comments on representative articles from the bibliography.

InfoVine is a software prototype which has been developed to enhance corporate memory and corporate consciousness. It has been implemented in the context of paint technology laboratory notebooks at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. However, its possible business and industrial applications are far wider. InfoVine is designed to perform a task whose importance is only just beginning to be recognised: that of replicating the information roles of middle managers, and providing a dynamic record of organisational knowledge. The system collects, stores and makes available information about which personnel have expertise in which technical areas. This paper examines the evaluation process that InfoVine underwent at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. The process was considered as an exercise in technology transfer and in promoting the use of the software within the organisation. The evaluation of InfoVine is considered in the light of proven criteria for good technology transfer. The methods used for system evaluation and the results of the evaluation are considered. The work on InfoVine has now moved into an exciting new phase. The closing section of this paper is concerned with new directions for InfoVine. These include abstracting the InfoVine principles to produce a generic system for enhancing corporate memory and corporate consciousness. New contexts for the development of InfoVine are also discussed.

Peter Smith tells the story of how he battled with cannabis use and his own denial to escape from the ‘twilight zone’ of severe mental health problems, and his work now with local voluntary organisations and mental health services to help others to do so too.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Special Issue; to provide a practitioner's retrospective views of the learning organization concept; and to comment on the status of The Learning Organization journal.

The approach adopted involves recounting a personal history of a practitioner's experiences with the concept, and an observation on the health of The Learning Organization journal.

The paper finds that, although the learning organization concept is deemed narrow and out of date, it is judged to have had significant positive influence on organizational thinking. The Learning Organization is shown to be a healthy and popular journal.

The paper is included in a Special Issue that is part of the series commissioned by the journal on organization‐related topics of interest to its readers. Its originality stems from its examination of the learning organization concept through a particular practitioner's lens, provoking reflection amongst others engaged in both the delivery and the consumption of practice and study.

On a basis of research and literature review, Smith, in 2001, suggested a model for the development of preparedness of learners and their workplaces to support the flexible delivery of training in enterprises. Using the model as a framework, he then developed a detailed set of strategies that may be used in operating workplaces to develop learners and workplaces for effective flexible delivery. The research reported here was designed to test that strategy set in 12 different enterprises to assess the feasibility of their implementation in operating workplaces. The research shows that a majority of suggested strategies are feasible for implementation; some are feasible with qualification; and a minority were not seen as feasible.

Although flexible training is widely supported by enterprises and government, there are considerable challenges in ensuring successful training outcomes. The evidence is that business learners, at a vocational training level, are not typically well‐equipped for the self‐directed learning required by flexible training, nor do they prefer to learn from textually presented learning packages. This paper suggests a number of strategies that may be used to prepare both learners and enterprises for successful outcomes from flexible training.

Describes the beginnings, development and successes of the gas path analysis program developed by Jet‐Care International. States that this program is the recommended method for monitoring filters and chip debris in Allied Signal TFE 731 engines. Indicates that it is currently being developed so that it will be able to monitor new variants and engine types. Concludes that there are immense savings to be made in using the Jet‐Care and also following successful tests the introduction of live monitoring is imminent.

Suggests a selective approach to leadership development in organizations, focusing on employees identified as having high potential or those on the development “fast‐track”. Identifies (from research) key psychological characteristics of fast‐track staff, and discusses the match between those characteristics and the properties of an action learning approach to development. Concludes with a plan for adapting action learning to the development of fast‐track staff.

A previous article in this journal, by the same author, reported on research that indicated that flexible training for business learners in the workplace needed to take account of their need for instructor guidance and direction, and of their preference for learning in affiliative environments with fellow learners and trainers. In this article the use of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) is explored as one training method that can assist with flexible training of this clientele. Some specific strategies for the successful use of CMC are suggested.

The present study consists of managers and professionals in 26 countries including seven from Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether culture dimensions predict country differences in the relationship between gender and organizational commitment. The study integrated theories of social learning, role adjustment and exchange that link commitment to organizational roles to explain such differences in gender effects. Findings indicate that an alternative modernities perspective on theories of gender and commitment is better warranted than is a traditional modernities perspective.

This study examined the relationship between gender and organizational commitment using primary data collected in 26 counties. The cross-level moderating effects of individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and restraint vs indulgence was examined using hierarchical linear modeling.

Organizational commitment is found to be higher among men than women in four countries (Australia, China, Hungary, Jamaica) and higher among women than men in two countries (Bulgaria and Romania). Results shows that large power distance, uncertainty avoidance, femininity (social goal emphasis) and restraint (vs indulgence) predict an association between being female and commitment. These all suggest limitations to the traditional modernity-based understanding of gender and the workplace.

This study is unique based on the three theories it integrates and because it tests the proposed hypothesis using a multi-level nested research design. Moreover, the results suggest a tension between an alternative modernities perspective on top-down governmental effects on commitment through exchange and bottom-up personal effects on commitment through social learning with role adjustment in an intermediate position.