Crossing an Apparent Chasm: Bridging Mindful and Less-Mindful Perspectives on Organizational Learning

Given the absence of relevant stimulus knowledge, an out-of-family state may either be ignored or become normalized, and potentially inappropriate organizational responses may be matched to these normalized situations.

“Given the absence of relevant stimulus knowledge, an out-of-family state may either be ignored or become normalized-that is, treated as if it were a familiar event already encountered and understood in the past-, and potentially inappropriate organizational responses may in turn be matched to these normalized situations (Levinthal and Rerup, 2006;Weick and Sutcliffe, 2006).”

Routine-based, history-dependent organizational change may prove problematic when previously unknown forces continuously alter the basis of competitive success, as in highly dynamic environments.

“research on experiential learning argues that this type of organizational change may prove problematic when previously unknown forces continuously alter the basis of competitive success (Levinthal and Rerup, 2006;March and Levinthal, 1993), as is the case in highly dynamic environments.”

Dynamic capabilities can be strategically valuable even in high velocity environments, possibly because an inventory of established change repertories can indirectly facilitate novel action by providing the fodder for new recombinations.

“It suggests a less extreme position in that these capabilities can be strategically valuable even in high velocity environments, possibly because an inventory of established change repertories can indirectly facilitate novel action by providing the fodder for new recombinations (Levinthal and Rerup, 2006;Wirtz, Mathieu, and Schilke, 2007).”