Becoming a Learning Organization in the Software Industry: Is CMM the Silver Bullet?

Abstract

This chapter examines to what extent the implementation of Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model (CMM) of software process improvement enables a firm to transform itself into an learning organization (LO). It argues that even though the CMM does lead the software firm forward on the route to learning, it does not go far enough. By recognizing organizational knowledge and organizational learning as the twin pillars of the LO, the author develops a conceptual framework against which the five maturity levels of CMM can be mapped and examined. This allows for an assessment of whether the CMM serves as a silver bullet in achieving the software firm’s goal of reaching the visionary state of the LO.