Toward a multilevel theory of learning: How individuals, organizations, and regions learn together

There are substantial bodies of theoretical literature regarding learning by individuals, organizations, and regions. There appears to be no theory that applies at all levels, or explains how learning at one level relates to learning at other levels. This study reviews the theoretical literature on individual, organizational, and regional learning, applies textual analysis to chart the gap between these bodies of literature, and posits an explanation that fills this gap. The fundamental theory proposed here is that community yields learning, or that community makes people smarter. A conceptual framework is provided for explicating and evaluating the proposed theory, and it is illustrated via a thought experiment. Community is presented as a phenomenon or process, rather than a place or thing, and learning as a gain in capabilities, which are equated to real freedoms: specifically, liberty, prosperity, and wellness. This study details how community functions result in increased capabilities, and provides suggestions on how this proposition might be applied in practice and investigated through research.