When exploration backfires
Subtitle: unintended consequences of multi-level organizational search
By: Nicolaj Siggelkow Jan W. Rivkin
Series: Working paper / Division of Research, Harvard Business School -- 06-016; Working paper (Harvard Business School. Division of Research) -- 06-016
Publisher: Division of Research, Harvard Business School
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 35
Description: An enduring belief among management scholars and managers is that unleashing the low-level members of an organization to explore widely will broaden the exploration conducted by the organization as a whole. Using an agent-based simulation model, we show that in multi-level organizations increased exploration at lower levels can backfire, reducing overall exploration and thereby diminishing organizational performance in environments that require broad search.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.