Rapid learning in high velocity environments

This dissertation investigates how rapid learning occurs in high technology industries, many of which operate in what Bourgeois and Eisenhardt (1988) term "high velocity environments." The dissertation consists of three empirical studies, which follow the method of extended case study research (e.g. Yin, 1981; Eisenhardt, 1989a). Semiconductor manufacturing and process development are chosen as settings for this dissertation because they exemplify some of the attributes of high velocity environments. The first study looks into how firms organize for learning. Existing definitions of modularity (McClelland & Rumelhart, 1995; Ulrich, 1995b; Baldwin & Clark, 1997) are expanded to provide a theoretical framework for differentiation and integration of organizations (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967, 1967a, 1969), technology (Iansiti & West, 1997; Iansiti, 1998), learning activity, accumulated knowledge and performance metrics in high velocity environments. The results of the study imply that differentiation in high velocity environments occurs with a high degree of modularity (the individual modules exhibit little interdependence), which fosters learning efficiency. The results also indicate that integrating technological subsystems in is significantly more complicated than integrating organizational subsystems. The second study explores the inner mechanisms of rapid learning by building a model of the lifecycle of a semiconductor manufacturing process. The output of the model suggests that the performance of a system is proportional to the performance of its most limiting subsystem. Learning in an organization occurs by paying attention to the weakest mechanism within that organization until that mechanism is no longer the weakest one, and shifting attention to the mechanism that replaces it as the weakest one.

Department dc:contributor.department

Sloan School of Management.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Weber, Charles M. (Charles Maria), 1955-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Michael Cusumano and Edward B. Roberts.

• Sloan School of Management.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8003

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/8003