Experiential learning: analyzing success and failures in Indian telecom sector
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the self and vicarious learning patterns of organizations through operational success and benchmark failure experiences. The study is specific to the Indian telecom sector.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses published data of four major telecom firms in India reported by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and analyzed the influence of aspiration performance discrepancy on organizational learning by hypotheses testing. Feasible generalized least square model with year fixed effects is used to run panel data regression.
Findings
In the case of operating experience for performance above aspiration, firms fail to learn from their own experience as well as from others’ experiences. For benchmark failure experience under positive discrepancy, firms learn from their own experience. For performance below aspiration, no significant result was found. These insights allow managers to reconfigure their learning orientation and to develop an effective mechanism for absorbing crucial knowledge from themselves and peer firms.
Practical implications
Practitioners should take into account that their knowledge repertoire is essential for learning in good times. This study also motivates managers involved in operating activities to make use of publicly disclosed reports, engage in vicarious learning or form a coalition for developing coping mechanism under negative discrepancy scenarios.
Originality/value
This paper presents a unique context by studying operational success, and failure experiences of telecom sector in India wherein benchmark for failure was decided by the governing regulatory body, TRAI, unlike other studies where success and failures reference points are intrinsically selected.
Keywords
Citation
Singh, S. and Guha, M. (2018), "Experiential learning: analyzing success and failures in Indian telecom sector", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 25 No. 9, pp. 3702-3719. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-07-2017-0199
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited