Session Summary

Session Number:749
Session ID:S90
Session Title:Social Learning for Change and Development
Short Title:Social Learning for Change
Session Type:Division Symposium
Hotel:Hyatt East
Floor:LL2
Room:Columbus A
Time:Tuesday, August 10, 1999 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM

Sponsors

ODC  (Rami Shani)ashani@calpoly.edu (805) 756-1756 

General People

Chair Brown, L. David  Boston U. ldbrown@bu.edu (617)-353-4287 
Discussant Tandon, Rajesh  PRIA Pria@sdalt.ernet.in 011-01-11-698-1908 

Submissions

Social Learning as Changes in Rules, Norms & Beliefs: A Theoretical Perspective Applied to Corporate Environmentalism 
Presenter Hoffman, Andrew  Boston U. ahoffman@bu.edu (617)-353-4287 
Presenter Ashman, Darcy  School for International Training dashman3@earthlink.net (802)-365-7184 
Developing Democracy: Interorganizational Networks and Social Learning in Bangladesh 
Presenter Ashman, Darcy  School for International Training dashman3@earthlink.net (802)-365-7184 
Business, Government and Civil Society Collaborations: Grounds for Sustainable Change through Social Learning 
Presenter Waddell, Steve  Institute for Development Research swaddell@jsi.com 617-422-0422 
Transorganizational Dialogue and Learning for Whole Systems Change: The Case of the Swedish Natural Step 
Presenter Bradbury, Hilary  Case Western Reserve U. HilaryBrad@aol.com (216)-368-0070  

Abstract

Social learning, change, development and pluralism appear to be closely linked concepts. Social learning can be distinguished from learning by individuals or by organizations in that it alters the capacities of social entities—like interorganizational networks or communities or nations—that include individuals and organizations as sub-units. Social level change processes and development have often been tied to the rise of data and views that do not fit within the dominant paradigm or schema. Pluralism is an quality that supports diverse viewpoints, and allows for the emergence of views and data that conflict with the dominant paradigm. In this symposium four papers will look at social learning and how it relates to change, development and pluralism with five common questions: 1) What is social learning?; (2) Why is it important to organizations and management in a pluralistic world?; (3) Under what conditions does social learning take place?; (4) What kinds of change frameworks and models are best suited to understanding how social learning works?; and (5) How is social learning related to other elements of change processes? The presentations will themselves be illustrated through diverse examples: one is based upon business and environmentalism, a second will look at environmentalists from a broader social change perspective, a third uses illustrations from business-government-civil society collaborations in four countries, and a fourth looks at NGO networks in political change in Bangladesh.