Summary:

This research is designed to investigate three related propositions about the acquisition of competences in work organizations. The first proposition is that learning results from exposure to information (accumulation effects). The second proposition claims that the effect of information wears off and that accumulation of information eventually ceases to have an effect on competences (diminishing effects). The final proposition claims that exposure to a specific source or type of information has different effects on different competence outcomes (differential effects).

Three firm-specific competences were identified as relevant outcomes of learning in organizations. Intraorganizational competence is the non-technical competence which regards the organization as a whole. Intraunit competence is the non-technical competence specific to one organizational unit. Firm-specific technical competence is both firm and task specific and applies to a small set of tasks within the organization. For each of the three propositions, a set ofhypotheses were developed relatingjob history, organizational structures and communication to each of the competence outcomes.

The research reported here addresses three notable shortcomings in previous research on learning in organizations. First, the research investigates the actual competence outcomes oflearning (as opposed to performance outcomes). Second, the research distinguishes among different work-related competences as well as their antecedents. Third, the research specifies the notion of experience at a conceptual rather than operational level.

Hypotheses were tested on data obtained from 981 employees in Statoil, the major Norwegian oil company. Twelve of 22 hypotheses relating to the first proposition were supported. Inadequate measurement of explanatory variables may explain why four of the hypotheses were not supported by the results. Four of five hypotheses relating to the second proposition were supported, whereas only two often hypotheses regarding the third proposition were supported. Intraorganizational job history and communication appear to have large, positive and diminishing effects on firm-specific competences. Further research is needed to clarify the impact of organizational structures. The research reported here further supports the claim that exposure to information should replace the notion of experience as an explanation of learning. Although the idea of differential effects obtained limited support, this research demonstrates that different competences can be distinguished empirically.