Reconciling the Tensions in Learning and Knowledge

This paper identifies the critical learning trade-offs that managers face when defining their learning strategies. We integrate these learning choices into three configurations of learning strategies: " Explorers " , " Exploiters " , and " Innovators " , and address whether there is one optimal configuration of the learning tensions that leads to a superior learning strategy, or whether different strategies are appropriate under different conditions. In supporting the existence of an " optimal " learning strategy, we propose several ways in which learning tensions can be managed. First, we argue that the tensions can be managed across time and space. Second, we suggest that by developing an improvisational skill, firms can exploit current ways of doing things while providing room for experiments and controlled risks that open the possibility for exploration.