Publications
Publications
- 2015
- HBS Working Paper Series
Coactive Vicarious Learning: Towards a Relational Theory of Vicarious Learning in Organizations
By: Christopher G. Myers
Abstract
Vicarious learning—a process of individual belief and behavior change that occurs through being exposed to, and making meaning of, another's experience—has long been recognized as a key driver of individual, team and organizational success. Yet existing perspectives on this critical learning process have remained fairly limited, seeing vicarious learning as simply a one-way process of observation and imitation, facilitated by formal organizational structures and conduits. Indeed, absent in these prior approaches is a consideration of the underlying process and interpersonal dynamics that guide a vicarious learning interaction. Integrating theories of experiential learning and symbolic interactionism, I offer a theoretical account of coactive vicarious learning, capturing these co-constructed, interpersonal learning interactions between individuals at work. These interactions involve the mutual processing of another's experience, built around discourse and analysis, and I argue that they lead to not only linear growth in individuals' knowledge, but also growth in their individual and relational capacity for future learning. I discuss implications of this approach for both theories of vicarious learning, as well as the practice of learning from others' experiences in organizations.
Keywords
Citation
Myers, Christopher G. "Coactive Vicarious Learning: Towards a Relational Theory of Vicarious Learning in Organizations." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-020, August 2015.