Chris Argyris (b 1923) is regarded as the founding father of the learning organization. His work has made substantial contributions to the understanding of organizational behavior, and action research. This book brings together some of the influential critical writing on Argyris.

Introduction 1 On the virtues of practising scholarship: a tribute to Chris Argyris, a ‘timeless learner’ 2 Empowerment: the emperor’s new clothes 3 A conversation with Chris Argyris: the father of organizational learning 4 A biography of Chris Argyris 5 The work of Chris Argyris as critical organization practice 6 Review of Strategy, Change and Defensive Routines by Chris Argyris 7 Review of Reasons and Rationalizations: The Limits to Organizational Knowledge by Chris Argyris 8 Re-reading Organizational Learning: selective memory, forgetting, and adaptation 9 Three faces of Eden: the persistence of competing theories and multiple diagnoses in organizational intervention research 10 A comment on the Argyris–Simon debate 11 Deutero-learning in organizations: a review and a reformulation 12 Commentary on varieties of dialectic change processes 13 Constructing contributions to organizational learning: Argyris and the next generation 14 Strategic change: the search for new equilibria 15 The theory and practice of strategic HRM and participative management: antecedents in early industrial relations 16 Application of theory of action to safety management: recasting the NAT/HRT debate 17 Learning from action: imbedding more learning into the performance fast enough to make a difference 18 Generative knowledge and self-organized learning: reflecting on Don Schön’s research 19 Change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors: the direct and moderating influence of goal orientation 20 Learning across a living company: the Shell companies’ experiences 21 The spectrum of school–university partnerships: a typology of organizational learning systems 22 When values backfire: leadership, attribution, and disenchantment in a values-driven organization 23 The second generation learning organizations: new tools for sustaining competitive advantage 24 Observations from a long-term, survey-guided consultation with a mining company 25 Personnel and human resources development 26 Action science and negotiation 27 Organizational learning in China 28 ‘Intrapreneurship as a peaceful and ethical transition strategy toward privatization’ 29 Re-thinking empowerment: why is it so hard to achieve? 30 Organisational learning and employees’ intrinsic motivation 31 Organizational silence: a barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world.