Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore a new idea presenting the possible relationship between organisational learning and organisational design. Design/methodology/approach: The establishment of this relation is based upon extensive literature review. Findings: Organisational learning theory has been used to understand several organisational phenomena, like resources and competencies, tacit knowledge or the role of memory in the organisation; however, it is difficult to identify fits and consequent misfits between organisational learning and the organisational design. Research limitations/implications: This is a theoretical paper, so there is a possible limitation, regarding the lack of empirical support. Practical implications: At the end of the paper a number of recommendations regarding the organisational design are suggested, in order to promote organisational learning in the firms. Originality/value: This paper identifies some links between organisational learning and organisational design, providing the grounds for a subsequent development and empirically testing of those relations.