Situativity of Learngin within Groups:
Coevolutionary Dynamics Over Time using Kauffman's NK Model
Yu Yuan, Bill McKelvey
mckelvey@anderson.ucla.edu
For many firms, producing information and knowledge and
enhancing learning capability have become the primary basis of competitive
advantage. A review of organizational learning theory identifies two approaches:
(1) those that treat symbolic information processing as fundamental to learning,
and (2) those that view the situated nature of cognition as fundamental.
After noting that the former is inadequate
because it focuses primarily on behavioral and cognitive aspects of individual
learning, this paper argues the importance of studying learning as interactions
among people in the context of their
environment. It contributes to organizational learning in three ways. First,
it argues that situativity learning theory is to be preferred over traditional
behavioral and cognitive learning theories, because it treats organizations
as complex adaptive systems rather than mere information processors. Second,
it adds rate and nonlinear learning effects. Third, following model-centered
epistemology, it uses an agent-based model, in particular a "humanized" version
of Kauffman's NK model, to study the situated nature of learning. Based on
the simulation results, we suggest seven hypotheses extending situativity
theory in new directions. The paper ends with a discussion of possible extensions
of the current study to better address key issues in the
situativity of learning.