Organisational Learning Capabilities and Adaptive Management in Nigerian Adult Education Agencies

This study examined organisational learning capabilities and their relationship to adaptive management effectiveness in state and federal adult education agencies across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Public sector adult education agencies must continuously learn and adapt in response to changing community needs, policy environments, and resource constraints, yet organisational learning as an analytical lens for Nigerian adult education administration has not been previously applied. The study employed a multiple case study design involving six purposively selected state agencies, one from each geopolitical zone: Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Borno, Delta, and Niger States. Data were gathered through 90 senior staff interviews, documentary analysis of organisational records and strategies, managerial observation sessions, and an adapted Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire administered to 210 agency staff. Cross-case analysis using Senge's five learning disciplines and Argyris and Schon's single and double loop learning frameworks guided interpretation. Findings revealed that all six agencies demonstrated predominantly single-loop learning behaviours, characterised by technical problem-solving without critical examination of underlying organisational assumptions and strategies. The Lagos agency demonstrated the strongest approximation of double-loop learning capabilities, linked to sustained exposure to international development partner partnerships and internal leadership investment in reflective practice. The study develops an original Public Adult Education Organisational Learning Capability Model that maps agency learning capability dimensions against adaptive management outcomes. Recommendations include developing organisational learning capability building programmes for adult education agency leadership, creating inter-agency learning communities of practice, and establishing systematic programme outcome feedback mechanisms. Keywords: organisational learning, adaptive management, adult education agencies, capacity development, Nigeria.