Organizational Learning in Asia: Issues and Challenges

Organizational Learning in Asia: Issues and Challenges addresses important and pressing questions on organizational learning in Asia in both domestic and foreign firms―those that have been forgotten in the mainstream literature or that remain unasked and unanswered.

Three sets of questions are especially salient. First, how can firms operating in, or from, Asia detect, respect, recognize, and honor different cultural stances on suggestion-giving, knowledge sharing, and standardization while also challenging accepted wisdom, avoiding risks and mistakes, and voicing disagreement?

Second, how can such firms facilitate local experimentation and innovation by providing a common knowledge platform in a non-totalitarian manner? Finally, how can such forums promote ‘reverse’ knowledge transfer from subsidiary to headquarters and across subsidiaries in different nations by avoiding ethnocentricity, cultivating local talent, and building a group of 'communities of practice' across cultural and status boundaries?

• Addresses important and pressing questions about organizational learning in Asia for both domestic and foreign firms
• Explores how such firms can facilitate local experimentation and innovation
• Promotes ‘reverse’ knowledge transfer from subsidiary, to headquarters, and across subsidiaries in different nations

Jacky Hong is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Macau, Macau. He received his PhD from Lancaster University. Since early 2000, he has been researching and publishing papers on the broader themes of organizational learning and knowledge management in the Asian context in journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Journal of World Business, Journal of International Management, International Business Review and others. He is on the editorial board of Journal World Business, Management Learning and other journals.

Robin Snell is Professor of Management at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He received his PhD form Lancaster University. An exponent of qualitative research, he is an Associate Editor of the journal, Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management and is on the editorial board of the Asian Journal of Business Ethics. His main interests are organizational learning and business ethics. He has published in many journals, including Asia Pacific Business Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, British Journal of Management, Business Ethics Quarterly, Business & Society, Human Relations, Human Resource Management Journal, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Management, Journal of Management Studies, Management Learning, Organization Studies, and Thunderbird International Business Review.

He is Editor of the leading journal Asia Pacific Business Review, Series Editor of the Working in Asia and Asian Studies book series. He has given a range of talks and lectures to universities and companies internationally with research and consultancy experience with unions, business and government. Professor Rowley has published widely in the area of HRM and Asian business, with over 500 articles, books and chapters and practitioner pieces.