organization’s overall capacity is a reflection of its
organizational capabilities. For example, the organizational
capability to adapt to changes in environmental
circumstances through organizational learning is
a critical aspect of an organization’s overall capacity.14
Organizational capabilities can mature over time and
some types of capabilities (e.g., learning capability)
are the foundation upon which other types of capabilities
can emerge.15 Organizational capabilities can
be thought of as both tangible (physical assets) and
intangible resources (organizational culture, learning
capability, teamwork, trust, experience) as well as
the capability to deploy these resources and to acquire
additional external resources when needed.16
Organizational learning is the process of achieving
organizational change and strategic renewal through
a cyclical pattern of reaching out to explore new ideas
while at the same time implementing more familiar
ideas that have become accepted by individuals and
groups within the organization.17 Through this process
the organization is able to explore new capabilities
while consolidating recently acquired capabilities.
There are four stages defined in the theory of organizational
learning: intuiting, interpreting, integrating,
and institutionalizing.18 Individuals are the key agency
in the initial exploration stage because it is individuals,
not organizations, who are able to identify and
initiate new ideas and share and interpret them with
others in the organization.19 Small groups are important
in the early implementation stage by interpreting
and integrating new ideas and making sense of them