Behind the Learning Curve: A Sketch of the Learning Process

Paul S. Adler and Kim B. Clark
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Paul S. Adler: Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-4024
Kim B. Clark: Harvard Business School, Soldiers Field, Boston, Massachusetts 02163

Management Science, 1991, vol. 37, issue 3, 267-281

Abstract: This exploratory paper sketches some of the behavioral processes that give rise to the learning curve. Using data from two manufacturing departments in an electronic equipment company, we construct a model of productivity improvement as a function of cumulative output and two managerial variables---engineering changes and workforce training. Exploration of this model highlights the complex relationship between first-order and second-order learning.

Keywords: productivity; learning; learning curve; manufacturing; engineering changes; training (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1991
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (134)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:37:y:1991:i:3:p:267-281

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