Borderless Learning

The concept of Borderless Learning contributes to an organization’s self-flexibility and growth from within. An organization must be reflexively educational, in which constant learning is conducted in as many directions as possible. Interaction and cross-learning in a multilevel organization will form a body with combined intelligence and advanced trans-disciplinary thinking, as well as contributing to tackle our modern workplace challenges of "quality, innovation, motivation, empowerment, social responsibility, change, and diversity." (Shelton; Darling, 2003)

Our workforce has become two narrow in the individuals’ knowledge, too restricted in their creative thinking. Individuals of organizations have been driven to this state by the previous movement of specialization in field, where deep but narrow familiarity with and employee’s task was essential for their survival in the group. This however, in return lessens the common tangents between individuals in difference position/levels of the organization, shutting off the windows of discussion and exchange in information. The concept of borderless learning recognizes "organizations' [needs for] creative energy generated by difference" (Shelton; Darling, 2003), promoting dynamic flows of information within it, and rendering the individuals as “part of [the] larger, compassionate whole” (Cowan; Todorovic, 2000).

For borderless learning to become reality, managers of an organization must be open to the creative ideas of their employees, welcome innovative thinking, and often provide incentives for the new knowledge anyone provides the group, in order to "become more intentional about focusing their power at the collective level." (Brown; Isaacs; Margulies; Warhaftig, 1999) Leaders must not fear the possibilities of multiple solutions in paradoxical problems, as "seemingly opposite options can be integrated into highly creative solutions." (Brown; Isaacs; Margulies; Warhaftig, 1999) Similarly, the inter-departmental communication will play an important role in stimulating information exchanges between sections of the organization that formerly may not have had any connections. These inter-comunications can be effectively conducted in the "World Cafe" style, where "informal webs of conversations and social learning by which human beings discover shared meaning, access collective intelligence, and co-create the future at increasing levels of scale." (Brown; Isaacs; Margulies; Warhaftig, 1999) With this, the organization can work as a "single, dynamic [one] with its own collective mind" (Cowan; Todorovic, 2000) to be as adaptive and flexible in our future society.