Authors:
Anne Söderman
;
Anni Rajala
and
Anne-Maria Holma
Affiliation:
University of Vaasa, Finland
Keyword(s):
Inter-organizational Learning, Managerial Cognition, Performance, Supply Chain.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Artificial Intelligence
;
Best Practices & Communities of Practice
;
Communication, Collaboration and Information Sharing
;
Communities of Practice
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
Knowledge Management and Information Sharing
;
Knowledge-Based Systems
;
Learning Organization & Organizational Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Society, e-Business and e-Government
;
Symbolic Systems
;
Web Information Systems and Technologies
Abstract:
This study answers the call for empirical research on how managers´ perceive their business network. Here we focus on SME managers´ reasoning regarding inter-organizational learning. We combine the concept of managerial cognition with inter-organizational learning (IOL) theories, and study CEOs´ cognitive maps to find out how managers deduce the effects of learning to their company´s performance and success. The data consists of interviews of five CEOs of small and medium sized companies (SMEs) representing technology industries in Finland. The SMEs also represented different positions in their supply chains: one subcontractor, one hub, and three companies in the middle of the supply chain. Interviews with the CEOs revealed strong learning intent with effects of relational learning and interactive learning. Learning was described to occur both upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and the CEOs perceived the effects of learning to be beneficial both for the relationships and fo
r the individual companies. We contribute to the knowledge of the role of IOL and CEOs´ cognitive reasoning paths concerning its effects on company´s performance. By using laddering, a rarely used interview technique in management and organization research, together with managerial cognitive maps, our study provides also methodological contributions.
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