Purpose: The principal aim of this research has been to discover what perception Spanish managers have of the organizational contexts in which they work and, in particular, in what way they consider that these conform with the characteristics of a continuously learning organization. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected in accordance with the questionnaire of Pedler. The questionnaire was completed anonymously. Findings: Organizational environments in what used to be state monopolies do not yet conform with the conditions that define a continuously learning organization. The greatest number of individual differences with respect to the perception of whether the organization is a learning organization are concentrated in individual variables such as age and professional level. Research limitations/implications: The main intention has been to learn more about a specific real situation, in order to gain the capacity to understand what is occurring. It has been considered that in the future this line of research could be continued by repeating the analysis in organizational contexts that are different from the one analyzed here. Practical implications: Although the organizational environment does not have the characteristics of a "continuously learning organization", the managers consider that they wish to end their working life in it. Originality/value: In the future, it will be possible to evaluate the impact that certain strategic plans may have on workers and vice versa, since issues related to human factors may have an influence on the strategic actions of companies. (Contains 6 figures and 3 tables.)