Organizational learning: effects of (network) structure and (individual) strategy

Earlier theoretical accounts of collective learning relied on rules and operating procedures as the organizational memory (March in Organ. Sci. 2(1): 71-87, 1991; Rodan in Scand. J. Manag. 21: 407-428, 2005). This paper builds on this tradition drawing on ideas from social network theory. Learning is modeled as a social-psychological process (Darr and Kurtzberg in Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 82(1): 28-44, 2000; Rulke et al. in Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 82(1): 134 149, 2000), in which organizations learn by exchanging information internally between their members (Argote et al. in Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 82(1): 1 8, 2000; Carley in Am. Soc. Rev. 56(3): 331-354, 1991; Carley in Soc. Perspect. 48(4): 547-571, 1995). Learning is also characterized as stochastic and creative (Gruenfeld et al. in Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 82(1): 45-59, 2000). This model is used to explore predictions about the effect social networks have on idea generation and learning and alternative strategies for choosing from whom to seek information.