Mark Easterby-Smith

Organizational learning: debates past, present and future

In this paper we attempt to map the development of organizational learning as a field of academic study by examining the rise and fall of specific debates. This does not pretend to be a comprehensive review of the field since there is now far too much material available to allow full coverage in any single publication. Rather, we have identified some of the key debates, and these have been organized along the simplistic time-line of past, present and future. Our purpose is two-fold: first, to note how the nature and language of the key ideas in organizational learning have changed over time; and second, to locate the papers in this Special Issue within the context of the developing field. It is perhaps no accident that we see most of the papers as closely associated with new, and emerging, issues, but we also find it interesting to note that many of these current or emergent issues actually have roots within some of the earlier debates.

The Blackwell handbook of organizational learning and knowledge management

Organizado em duas partes, este livro trata da aprendizagem organizacional e das organizações de aprendizagem sob a perspectiva técnica e social. Na primeira parte, os artigos trazem importante contribuição ao apontar dificuldades e limitações à construção do campo teórico e ao realizar uma revisão crítica da literatura existente. Já a segunda parte reúne estudos práticos de implementação da aprendizagem organizacional em ambientes organizacionais, com base em diversas metodologias de intervenção, mesclando teoria e prática.Once upon a time the publication of an edited handbook constituted a landmark event that brought together the worlds leading authorities within a major field of study to map out the territory, reflect comprehensively on the main theoretical, methodological, and empirical developments that had occurred from the fields inception, drawing out, where necessary and appropriate, the implications for practice, and giving clear pointers to where the field might move next, say, over the coming two decades or so. Dunnettes (1976) handbook, which remains a citation classic some thirty years on (despite there having been a four-volume second edition little over a decade ago) is in many ways a prototypical exemplar of handbooks falling within this genre, as is Marchs (1965) handbook, which made the initial statement of what organization theory is.

Inter-Organizational Knowledge Transfer: Current Themes and Future Prospects

Many papers have been published recently in the fields of strategy and international business research incorporating the role of organizational knowledge as a basis of firm competitive advantage. While such knowledge is normally developed within the firm, it is important that firms possess the ability to learn from others in order to meet the increasing pace of competition. Knowledge transfer, defined here as an event through which one organization learns from the experience of another, has thus become an important research area within the broader domain of organizational learning and knowledge management. This paper presents a theoretical framework, identifies key themes covered by the six articles included in the Special Issue on Inter-Organizational Knowledge Transfer, and then discusses priorities for future research.

Dynamic Capabilities: Current Debates and Future Directions

The field of dynamic capabilities has developed very rapidly over the last ten years. In this paper we discuss the evolution of the concept, and identify two major current debates around the nature of dynamic capabilities and their consequences. We then review recent progress as background to identifying the contributions of the seven papers in this special issue, and discuss the relative merits of qualitative and quantitative studies for investigating dynamic capabilities. We conclude with recommendations for future research arguing for more longitudinal studies which can examine the processes of dynamic abilities over time, and for studies in diverse industries and national contexts.

The design, analysis and interpretation of repertory grids

This paper is intended for those with some knowledge of the repertory grid technique who would like to experiment for themselves with new forms of grid. It is argued that because the technique is quite powerful and the basic principles of its design are easy to grasp there is some danger in it being used inappropriately. Inappropriate applications may be harmful both to those involved directly, and to the general reputation of the technique itself. The paper therefore surveys a range of alternatives in the design of grids, and discusses the factors that are important to consider in these cases. But even if a design has been produced which is inherently “good”, any applications based on this will be of doubtful value unless prior thought has been given to the availability of analytic techniques, and to the means of interpretation of the results. Hence the paper outlines a number of approaches to the analysis of grids (both manual and computer based), and it also illustrates the possible process of interpretation in a number of cases.

Absorptive Capacity: A Process Perspective

Absorptive capacity is regarded as an important factor in both corporate innovation and general competitive advantage. The concept was initially developed largely from reviews of the literature and has subsequently been extended by empirical studies, although some people suggest that progress since 1990 has been disappointing. This article argues that this limited development results from the dominance of quantitative studies which have failed to develop insights into the processes of absorptive capacity, and builds on recent qualitative studies which have successfully opened up new perspectives. Using case studies drawn from three different sectors, the article argues that a process perspective on absorptive capacity should include the role of power in the way knowledge is absorbed by organizations, and provide better understanding of the nature of boundaries within and around organizations.

Working with pluralism: determining quality in qualitative research

This Feature Topic contains four articles that address the determination of quality in qualitative research by exploring the use of criteria from the perspective of reviewers, editors, and/ or authors. In this introductory article, the authors assert that these explorations represent an important move away from employing listings of static criteria to adjudicate and develop qualitative research. In its place, we see the making of quality as situated in methodological pluralism that occurs both in comparison with quantitative research and also within qualitative research. This fact complicates and enriches the task of determining quality and also suggests ways forward for the academic community.

Using repertory grids in management

It is now 15 years since the Journal of European Industrial Training published its first monograph on repertory grid technique (Volume 4 Number 2, 1980). Since that time many changes have occurred in both the use and the application of grids. Aims to bring the reader up to date with developments which have taken place in the application and analysis of repertory grid technique. Unlike the initial monograph, places greater emphasis on practicalities of completing a grid and the different types of analysis possible than on the applications of the grid. After encouragement from Roger Bennett, among others, this revised and expanded monograph capitalizes on the collaboration of the original author, Mark Easterby‐Smith, with Richard Thorpe and David Holman. Their combined experience of the theory and use of repertory grid technique updates the original monograph.

Dynamic capabilities and the role of organizational knowledge: an exploration

Two concepts, dynamic capabilities and knowledge management, are widely assumed to be linked to sustained competitive advantage, although researchers have found it hard to substantiate these assumptions. It has also been suggested that the interplay between the two is important, and that it needs to be better understood. In this paper, we therefore look at the nature of, and interaction between, organizational knowledge and dynamic capabilities in some detail. We do this first through a literature review, and second, through a case study of the evolution of a new international business. The study illustrates how forms of knowledge, particularly when transmitted via social interactions, can act as a source of dynamic capabilities, and we conclude with suggestions about further research on the social and political interactions between the two.

Creating a Learning Organisation

This article, arguing that a key feature in the success of Japanese companies is their ability to learn rapidly from their experiences, reviews some of the more important contributions to the theory of organisational learning. Additionally the author considers, from a practical point of view, what principles can be adopted by organisations wishing to increase their capacity to learn.