Showing papers by "Andrew C. Inkpen published in 1995"

Believing Is Seeing: Joint Ventures and Organization Learning*

Abstract: This paper develops a conceptual framework for the study of organization learning and applies it to learning in joint ventures (JVs). the framework presents a multilevel view of the phenomenon, suggesting that learning in organizations occurs at the individual, group and organization levels. the framework integrates behavioural and cognitive perspectives of organization learning and delineates both learning processes and outcomes. Four key elements of organization learning are addressed: the nature of managerial learning experiences, the sharing and integration of managerial learning within an organization, the insti-tutionalization of learning, and the relationship between organization learning and performance. In applying the framework to a study of learning and JVs, we observed firms with explicit learning objectives unable to put into place the appropriate mechanisms and systems to transfer knowledge from the JV to the parent. While individual managers in the JVs were often enthusiastic and positive about their learning experiences, integration of the learning experience at the parent firm level was problematic, limiting the institutionalized learning. the fundamental position in this paper is that a rigid set of managerial beliefs associated with an unwillingness to cast off or unlearn past practices can severely limit the effectiveness of organization learning.

The seeking of strategy where it is not: Towards a theory of strategy absence

Abstract: Strategy researchers are preoccupied with the study of existing strategy systems and processes, with the result that they do not question situations where a strategy is expected to exist but does not. The investigation of such voids is likely to enhance greatly the understanding of the nature of organizational strategy, both in its presence and in its absence. The perspective offered in this paper is that strategy absence is a legitimate phenomenon of interest to business management scholars.

The Management of International Joint Ventures: An Organizational Learning Perspective

Abstract: This is a study of international joint ventures, with emphasis on the issues between US and Japanese firms. It examines the characteristics, performance and role of Japanese networks in JV management processes. Split into three parts, the book examines learning by discussing the specific problems American firms have in capitalizing on JV learning opportunities; JV stability is examined with an emphasis on the role of knowledge and learning by the foreign JV partner; and the complex issue of trust between JV partners is discussed. By focusing on learning, Inkpen reveals an important and under-researched area in JV literature, and provides a current reference for researchers interested in some of the more complex areas of international joint venture management.