Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Franz M. Gottleib
Abstract
In a fast-paced, volatile global economic environment, the ability to learn from successful experiences and failures is critical for the improvement of business performance. The problem is that organizational managers often fail to improve performance because they lack strategies to encourage learning from project teams’ positive and negative experiences. Grounded in the conceptual framework of experiential learning, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore managerial strategies to encourage and facilitate learning from experience in teams. The participants were 7 managers from multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland who had more than 5 years of experience of leading teams through successful and failed projects. Data were analyzed from semistructured interviews and company documents following Yin’s 5-step process. Three themes emerged to include managers leveraging management processes, structures and systems; proactively shaping learning culture; and continuously cultivating and role-modeling learning behavior. Team managers could encourage learning in organizations by leveraging management practices, systems, and tools. Senior managers may also consider positioning learning as a company value and role-modeling learning behavior. Human resources professionals may support learning in teams by training managers to strengthen the growth mindset and coaching skills. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve employee satisfaction, engagement, retention, sense of well-being, and efficacy.
Recommended Citation
Khomenko, Olena, "Managerial Strategies to Encourage Learning from Experience" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 8738.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/8738
