Taxonomy of a learning engineering organization

This paper presents the need, and a starting point, for identifying the key attributes of engineering organizations that support lifelong learners. It is proposed that effective support for developing or using lifelong learning skills requires the learner’s organizations to manifest at least some specific supportive attributes. This paper will propose the need for a framework for reviewing learning structures and spaces in all engineering organizations, to help improve and support learning in these organizations. It proposes an initial set of attributes to review in each organizational setting, ranging from learning leadership, knowledge exchange, support for learning from failure, and budgetary and other mechanimsms to support learning. Creating a taxonomy of such learning is expected to help organizations assess their own learning culture, better allowing engineering organizations to create and value the learning attributes they embody, and identify gaps they may wish to fill.