Levitt+and+March

__ THE THEORISTS __ Argyris and Schön Daft and Weick Fiol and Lyles Levitt and March ** LEVITT AND MARCH **


 * = //Summary of Theory// || //Examples// ||
 * Organizational theorists Levitt & March (1988) describe organizational learning as “learning by encoding inferences from history into routines that guide behavior” (Collinson & Cook, 24, 2007).

Observations from their studies of organizational learning:


 * 1) __ Behavior is based on routines: __ Organizations match procedures to situations, not necessarily calculating the optimal choice for a situation. Routines are established over time and utilized for the future based on past experiences.
 * 2) __ Actions are history-dependent: __ Routines are interpretations of the past rather than anticipations of the future.
 * 3) __ Oriented to targets: __ Behavior depends on the relation between outcomes observed and aspirations to those outcomes.

They describe routines to include all of the rules, procedures, practices, conventions, and strategies that organizations have historically used and still use based on past experiences. This form of organizational learning is formed more on the basis of past experiences than looking to future goals. In other words, things are done a certain way due to being grounded in a routine being established by an organization over time.

The following are some key organizational ideas from the research of Levitt & March:

Levitt & March (1988) also speak of a term called //organizational memory//, which they describe as a way in which organizations preserve useful information and key ideas from past experiences (Collinson & Cook, 25). There is a danger in relying on organizational memory that if an organization relies more on tacit knowledge, such as in the example of teaching, that this tacit knowledge can become subjective and not include key ideas or information. They go on to explain that less-used information that is in organizational memory runs the risk of becoming lost. Also, organizational memory can become lost if an organization has a high turn over of its members.
 * Organizational Memory **

Levitt & March refer to another risk factor described within this theory of organizational learning as //superstitious learning//. This occurs when members of an organization make persistent, faulty interpretations about the connections between actions & outcomes (Collinson & Cook, 25). Superstitious learning is based on looking at a cause and effect relationship, but the difficulty lies within looking at limited amounts of information that can mislead an organization.
 * Superstitious Learning **

The theorists go on to describe yet another organizational challenge related to success which they refer to as //competency traps//. Competency traps are what organizations fall into when they experiences success with a specific strategy or procedure, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the most effective strategy or procedure to ensure long-term effects. However, the organization continues to use the inadequate procedure based on its immediate return. || * This video shows the school rules (routines) and how they should guide behavior. media type="youtube" key="AbEveoyoLOM" height="244" width="392"
 * Competency Traps **

media type="youtube" key="tzlKoYLzdFo" height="314" width="382" || THE CORE ASSUMPTIONS SIX CONDITIONS BACK TO HOME
 * Here is an example of superstitious learning: