search query: @indexterm ORGANIZATION / total: 976
reference: 126 / 976
Author: | Denrell, J. |
Title: | Vicarious Learning, Undersampling of Failure, and the Myths of Management |
Journal: | Organization Science
2003 : MAY-JUN, VOL. 14:3, p. 227-243 |
Index terms: | LEARNING ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS BIAS |
Language: | eng |
Abstract: | This paper shows that undersampling of failure can contribute to a variety of false beliefs about effective management. Simply by observing existing organizations, laymen may get a misleading picture of the determinants of corporate performance. In particular, risky practices, even if they are unrelated to performance in the full population of organizations, may seem to be positively related to performance in a sample of survivors. The author argues that this bias frequently implies that the organizational theories of managers and other observers of organizations will be systematically biased. Observations of existing organizations will show that unreliable, uninformed practices and practices that involve concentrated resource allocation are superior to reliable, informed practices or that involve diversified resource allocation. |
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