Vicarious Learning Without Knowledge Differentials

Sanghyun Park () and Phanish Puranam ()
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Sanghyun Park: INSEAD, Singapore 138676
Phanish Puranam: INSEAD, Singapore 138676

Management Science, 2024, vol. 70, issue 5, 2999-3019

Abstract: The benefits of vicarious learning are usually conceptualized in terms of a mechanism for learners to utilize the superior knowledge of others. Building on the fact that vicarious learning typically co-occurs and interacts with individual learning-by-doing, we propose an alternative mechanism—one in which vicarious learning is useful because it corrects for certain well-known limitations of individual learning-by-doing. Using computational agent-based models, we show that, under this mechanism, vicarious learning can be beneficial, even without any ex ante differential knowledge to exploit. Our analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the microfoundations of vicarious learning, which is a vital component of organizational learning. We draw implications for empirical analysis and managerial practice.

Keywords: vicarious learning; organizational learning; organization design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:70:y:2024:i:5:p:2999-3019

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