Management Science and Information Systems' Seminar (2015-09)

Topic:Contributive Roles of Multilevel Organizational Learning for the Evolution of Organizational Ambidexterity

Speaker:Mengling Yan,Guanghua School of Management, Peking University

Time:Wednesday, 11November, 3:30-5:00 P.M

Location:Room K217

Abstract:

Purpose:This paper aims to reveal how organizational learning at the strategic and operational levels (i.e., strategic learning and business learning, respectively) contribute to the development of organizational ambidexterity along the growth of enterprises from an evolutionary view.

Methodology:We conducted a longitudinal case study on Huawei- a leading Chinese firm in the telecommunication industry. Data was collected from various sources including interviews, CEO’s speeches, scholarly publications, company magazines and internal memos. The case was analyzed in line with the principles of grounded theory.

Findings:This research reveals that the case company (Huawei) constructed organizational ambidexterity with different foci during different development stages. The organization’s ambidextrous capability evolves over time, shifting from one domain to another. Such ambidexterity development was largely beneficial from the multilevel organizational learning at both the strategic level (focusing on the whole organization and long-term goals) and operational level (focusing on local interests and short-term goals).

Originality: This paper represents one of the earliest works to uncover the ambidexterity building process from an evolutionary approach that requires the collection of longitudinal data. Also, the paper proposes a multi-level learning framework for ambidexterity building in practice. This framework distinguishes strategic learning from business learning and projects the two types of learning into learning at four levels-individual, team, intra-organizational, and inter-organizational, which can be leveraged to guide division of labor among hierarchical levels during the progressive development of ambidexterity.

Keywords:Organizational ambidexterity, Organizational learning, Strategic learning, Business learning, Evolution

中文先容：论文主要研究海内领先的电信企业华为公司怎样通过差别条理的组织学习运动构建组织双元能力
。 随着竞争的加剧
，情形转变加速
，企业既需要充分“使用”已有的知识和履历
，包管短期的利润
，又需要起劲“探索”新的知识和时机
，为未来的机缘与挑战做好准备
，这种兼顾“探索”与“使用”的能力被称为“组织双元能力”
，对组织在强烈竞争中存活和昌盛有主要的意义
。然而
，“探索”与“使用”争取有限的组织资源和治理层注重力
，对组织结构、流程、文化等有截然差别的要求
，组织往往容易太过强调其中之一
，而失去两者之间的平衡
。本文借鉴组织学习理论
，从领先企业的履历中寻找双元能力的构建要领和模式
。在理论上
，本文提出了一个多条理的学习模子
，展现了案例企业的双元能力演化路径
，不但富厚了双元能力构建的相关讨论
，并且深化了组织学习理论的应用
。在实践上
，案例企业所接纳的学习要领和学习原则能够为企业带来实践启示
。

接待感兴趣的先生与同砚加入！