A SOCIAL NETWORK VIEW OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING.

Abstract

Research in organizational learning has demonstrated processes and occasionallyperformance implications of acquisition of declarative (know what) and procedural(know how) knowledge. However, there has been considerably less attention paid tocharacteristics of relationships that affect the decision to seek information from specificothers when faced with a new problem or opportunity (know who). Based on a review of the social network, information processing and organizational learning literatures, along with the results of a previous qualitative study, we propose a formal model of information seeking in which the probability of seeking information from a specific other is modeled as a function of: 1) knowing what that person knows; 2) valuing what that person knows; 3) being able to gain timely access to that person's thinking and 4) perceiving that seeking information from that person would not be too costly. We also hypothesize that these relational variables mediate the relation-ship between physical proximity and information seeking. The model is tested using two separate research sites (to provide replication). The results indicate strong support for the model (with the exception of the cost variable), and partial support for the mediation hypothesis. Implications are drawn for the study of transactive memory and organizational learning, as well as for management practice.