Master Foods Australia: Lessons in successful organisational learning practice

Abstract

Following the work of Peter Senge in particular, organisations have placed increasing emphasis on their development as ‘learning organisations’. Master Foods is one of the largest privately owned businesses in the world and has maintained a dominant presence for more than 50 years in the highly competitive fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. Through interviews with key members of the Master Foods organisation, the authors assess how well the company fits the profile of a learning organisation, and point to aspects of Master Foods’ practice that might explain their success in developing internal learning.