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Cited by 7,283

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The myopia of learning

Levinthal, Daniel A., March, James G.·1993·Strategic Management Journal
DOI 10.1002/smj.4250141009
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Abstract

Organizational learning has many virtues, virtues which recent writings in strategic management have highlighted. Learning processes, however, are subject to some important limitations. As is well-known, learning has to cope with confusing experience and the complicated problem of balancing the competing goals of developing new knowledge (i.e., exploring) and exploiting current competencies in the face of dynamic tendencies to emphasize one or the other. We examine the ways organizations approach these problems through simplification and specialization and how those approaches contribute to three forms of learning myopia, the tendency to overlook distant times, distant places, and failures, and we identify some ways in which organizations sustain exploration in the face of a tendency to overinvest in exploitation. We conclude that the imperfections of learning are not so great as to require abandoning attempts to improve the learning capabilities of organizations, but that those imperfections suggest a certain conservatism in expectations.

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Cites

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Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Levinthal, D. A., & March, J. G.
Venue
Strategic Management Journal
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1993
Volume
14
Issue
S2
Pages
95-112
ISSN
  • 0143-2095 (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0266
DOI
10.1002/smj.4250141009
OpenAlex
W1993023795
Cited by
7,283
References
3
FWCI
19.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 8278 d)

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