The application of group consensus theory to aid organizational learning and sustainable innovation development in manufacturing enterprises

This paper will describe and develop a method of exploring situated knowledge within Manufacturing organisations, with employees from a four-tier supply chain utilising a form of Group Consensus Theory (GCT). The approach attempts to identify the attitudes of companies to the development human competencies and, will identify the challenges to improving Organisational Learning in companies through identifying the emotions and politics of leadership and learning in order to articulate how situated knowledge is ignored, as well as utilised. Direct feedback from industrialists will inform the analysis of how and in what way UK manufacturers can meet these challenges. The method developed is practical, and may be used by organisations for themselves to aid the development of group as well as individual reflection, to stimulate the consideration of change.