Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment
To better understand the factors that support or inhibit internally-focused change, we report the results of an inductive study of one firm's attempt to improve two of its core business processes. Our data suggest that the critical...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
2003
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/1815 |
| _version_ | 1826193595230584832 |
|---|---|
| author | Repenning, Nelson Sterman, John |
| author_facet | Repenning, Nelson Sterman, John |
| author_sort | Repenning, Nelson |
| collection | MIT |
| description | To better understand the factors that support or inhibit internally-focused change, we
report the results of an inductive study of one firm's attempt to improve two of its core
business processes. Our data suggest that the critical determinants of success in efforts
to learn and improve are the interactions between managers' attributions regarding the
cause of poor organizational performance and the physical structure of the workplace,
particularly delays between investing in improvement and recognizing the rewards.
Building on this observation, we propose a dynamic model capturing the mutual
evolution of those attributions, managers' and workers' actions, and the production
technology. We use the model to show how managers' beliefs about those that work
for them, workers' beliefs about those who manage them, and the physical structure of
the environment can coevolve to yield an organization characterized by conflict,
mistrust, and control structures that prevent useful change of any typ |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:41:36Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/1815 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:41:36Z |
| publishDate | 2003 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/18152019-04-12T08:22:45Z Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment Repenning, Nelson Sterman, John To better understand the factors that support or inhibit internally-focused change, we report the results of an inductive study of one firm's attempt to improve two of its core business processes. Our data suggest that the critical determinants of success in efforts to learn and improve are the interactions between managers' attributions regarding the cause of poor organizational performance and the physical structure of the workplace, particularly delays between investing in improvement and recognizing the rewards. Building on this observation, we propose a dynamic model capturing the mutual evolution of those attributions, managers' and workers' actions, and the production technology. We use the model to show how managers' beliefs about those that work for them, workers' beliefs about those who manage them, and the physical structure of the environment can coevolve to yield an organization characterized by conflict, mistrust, and control structures that prevent useful change of any typ 2003-02-03T19:31:31Z 2003-02-03T19:31:31Z 2003-02-03T19:31:31Z Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/1815 en_US MIT Sloan School of Management Working Paper;4372-02 125869 bytes application/pdf application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Repenning, Nelson Sterman, John Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title | Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title_full | Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title_fullStr | Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title_short | Capability Traps and Self-Confirming Attribution Errors in the Dynamics of Process Improvment |
| title_sort | capability traps and self confirming attribution errors in the dynamics of process improvment |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/1815 |
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