Searching, Processing, Codifying and Practicing – Key Learning Activities in Exploratory Initiatives

Why do so many exploratory initiatives fail? This article suggests the reason may be managers’ tendency to under-invest in four key learning activities – searching, processing, codifying and practicing. Based on a study of forty-one exploratory initiatives in three insurance firms, this article explains why each of these four activities is important and why, despite their benefits, managers tend to neglect them. In addition, the study identifies three features of the context surrounding an initiative that facilitate appropriate investments in learning. For managers, the article offers a description of the factors that may either impede or support effective learning in exploratory groups, and provides a fine-grained analysis of the links between learning activities and specific learning outcomes.