The Ambiguities of Experience

The first component of intelligence involves effective adaptation to an environment. In order to adapt effectively, organizations require resources, capabilities at using them, knowledge about the worlds in which they exist, good fortune, and good...

James G. March is Emeritus Professor at Stanford University. He holds appointments in the Schools of Business and Education and in the Departments of Political Science and Sociology. His many books include Explorations in Organizations and The Pursuit of Organizational Intelligence.

James March is a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For decades March, perhaps the wisest philosopher of management, has illuminated how humans think and behave, and he continues to do so in this book. He begins by reminding us of just how deeply beholden we have become, in our organizational lives, to the idea of experiential learning.... The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications, ones that are intrinsic to the nature of experience itself and which are explored in the body of this book.... Besides being a broadly erudite scholar, March is also a poet, and his talent shines through in the depth of the insight he offers, the breadth of allusion he portrays, and the concise language he uses. Though this book is short, it is challenging: Don't pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to ponder your assumptions about learning from experience in work and life. The rewards are here.