Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

The learning curve and its contribution to the human talent performance in organizations: a theoretical review

Abstract

The aim of this article is to carry out a theoretical review of the learning curve, its origins, models and main applications. A documentary investigation was carried out, for which specialized databases were consulted, addressing the main authors and the characteristic aspects of each model. The findings indicate the importance of studying learning curves, both at the individual, group and organizational levels. The latter can be a source for decision-making in companies, since the different learning curve models can provide information referring to: production goals, performance evaluation, labor estimation, and price and cost optimization, to create competitive advantages. The reviewed works highlight the benefit of learning curves in topics such as: planning, training and process control. It is concluded that the learning curves, although they began in the aviation industry, have been disseminated to various industrial sectors, with the contribution of new mathematical models for their estimation.

Keywords

organization;, learning curve;, knowledge;, performance;, knowledge transfer

PDF (Español) XML (Español)

Author Biography

Diego Alonso Cardona-Arbeláez

Administrador de Empresas, Estudiante de Doctorado en Administración

Jorge Luis Del Río-Cortina

Administrador de Empresas, Estudiante de Doctorado en Administración

Ana Karina Romero-Severiche

Economista, Magíster en Gestión y Evaluación de Proyectos de Inversión

Harold Lora-Guzmán

Ingeniero de Productividad y Calidad, Doctor en Cultura y Educación


References

Aguirre-Sádaba, A. A. (1985). Las curvas de aprendizaje y sus aplicaciones. Cuadernos de Ciencias Económicas Y Empresariales, 16, 121–134. Recuperado de: http://cuadernos.uma.es/pdfs/pdf318.pdf

Alean-Pico, A., Del Rio, J., Simancas-Trujillo, R., & Rodríguez-Arias, C. (2017). ¿El emprendimiento como estrategia para el desarrollo humano y social?. Saber, Ciencia Y Libertad, 12 (1), 107-123. Recuperado de: http://www.sabercienciaylibertad.org/ojs/index.php/scyl/article/view/218

Amit, R. (1986). Cost leadership strategy and experience curves. Strategic Management Journal, 7 (3), 281–292. doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250070308

Arias-Gaviria, J. (2014). Modelamiento y Simulación de Curvas de Aprendizaje para Tecnologías de Energía Renovable en Colombia (Tesis de maestría). Medellín, Colombia: Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Recuperado de: bdigital.unal.edu.co/43657/1/1020439952.2014.pdf

Argyris, C., & Schon, D. (1978). Organizational Learning. Reading. MA: Addison-Wesley.

Argote, L. (1993). Group and organizational learning curves: individual system and environmental comoponents. British Journal of Social Psychology, 32 (1), 31–51.

Arrow, K. J. (1962). The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing. The Review of Economic Studies, 29 (3), 155–173.

Badiru, A. (2012). Half-life learning curves in the defense acquisition life cycle. Defense ARJ, 19 (3), 283–308. Recuperado de: https://www.afit.edu/BIOS/publications/HalflifeLearningCurvesinDefenseAcquisitionLifeCycleBadiruDARJ2012.pdf

Badiru, A., Elshaw, J., & Everly, M. (2013). Half-life learning curve computations for airframe lyfe -cycle costing of composite manufacturing. Journal of Aviation and Aerospace Perspectives, 3 (2), 6–37.

Baloff, N. (1966). the learning curve-some controversial issues. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 14 (3), 275–282.

Panas, A., & Pantouvakis, J. (2018). On the use of learning curves for the estimation of construction productivity. International Journal of Construction Management, 18 (4), 301-309. doi: 10.1080/15623599.2017.1326302

Bevis, F. W., Finnear, C., & Towill, D. R. (1970). Prediction of operator performance during learning of repetitive tasks. International Journal of Production Research, 8, 293.

Bohlen, G. A., & Barany, J. W. (1976). A learning curve prediction model for operators performing industrial bench assembly operations. International Journal of Production Research, 95–303.

Cangelosi, V., & Dill, W. (1965). Organizational Learning: Observations Toward a Theory. Administrative Science Quarterly, 10 (2), 175–203. doi: http://doi.org/10.2307/2391412

Carlson, J. G. (1964). Normes de temps pour la fabrication en petite serie. (B. T. E. L’Etude du Travail, Ed.). París, Francia.

Carr, G. W. (1946). Peacetime cost estimating requires new learning curves. Aviation, 45, 76–77.

Cook, S. D. N., & Yanow, D. (1993). Culture and Organizational Learning. Journal of Management Inquiry, 2 (4), 373–390. doi: http://doi.org/10.1177/105649269324010

Crawford, J. R. (1944). Learning Curve, ship curve, ratios, related data. Ockheed Aircraft Corporation.

Crossan, M. M., Lane, H. W., White, R. E., & White, E. (1999). Learning From Intuition To Framework. Academy of Management Review, 24 (3), 522–537. Recuperado de: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/259140

Del Río-Cortina, J., Cardona -Arbeláez, D., & Guacarí-Villalba, A. (2017). Responsabilidad social empresarial y construcción de la marca: una nueva mirada a las estrategias de gestión. Revista de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, 8 (1), 49-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.19053/20278306.v8.n1.2017.7370

Dolan, R. J., & Jeuland, A. P. (1981). Experience Curves and Dynamic Demand Models: Implications for Optimal Pricing Strategies. Journal of Marketing, 45 (1), 52. http://doi.org/10.2307/1251720

Dutton, J. M., Thomas, A., & Butles, J. E. (1984). The history of progress functions as a managerial technology. Bus. Hist. Rev., 58, 204-233.

Ellis, H. C. (1965). The transfer of learning. Macmillan Company. Oxford, England.

Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology, 20 (4), 155–157.

Everett, J. G., & Farghal, S. (1994). Learning Curve Predictors for Construction Field Operations. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 120 (3), 603–616. doi: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1994)120:3(603)

Fernández-Guerrero, M. M., & González-Ferro, V. (2017). Enseñar, el arte de transformar y crecer. Saber, Ciencia y Libertad, 12 (2), 167-174. Recuperado de: http://www.sabercienciaylibertad.org/ojs/index.php/scyl/article/view/242

Fiol, M., & Lyles, M. (1985). Organizational learning. The Academy of Management Review, 10 (4), 803–813. doi: http://doi.org/10.2307/258048

Glock, C., & Jaber, M. (2014). A group learning curve model with and without worker turnover. Journal of Modelling in Management, 9 (2), 179–199. doi: http://doi.org/10.1108/JM2-05-2013-0018

Glover, J. H. (1966). Manufacturing progress functions: an alternative model and its comparison with existing functions. International Journal of Production Research, 4, 279.

Grima-Terre, J. D., & Tena-Millan, J. (1984). Análisis y formulación de la estrategia empresarial. Barcelona: Ed. Hispano Europea S.A.

Hatch, N. W., & Mowery, D. C. (1998). Process Innovation and Learning by Doing in Semiconductor Manufacturing. Management Science, 44 (11), 1461–1477.

Hall, G., & Howell, S. (1985). The Experience Curve from the Economist’ s Perspective. Strategic. Management Journal, 6 (3), 197–212.

Hernández-Fuentes, S., & Sánchez-Mojica, K. (2017). Innovación y competitividad: micro y pequeñas empresas del sector agroindustrial en Cúcuta. Revista de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, 8 (1), 23-33. doi: https://doi.org/10.19053/20278306.v8.n1.2017.7368

Hernández-Gil, C., Figueroa-Ramírez, E. F., & Correa-Corrales, L. E. (2018). Reposicionamiento de marca: el camino hacia la competitividad de las pequeñas y medianas empresas. Revista de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, 9 (1), 33-46. doi: https://doi.org/10.19053/20278306.v9.n1.2018.8505

Hitchings, B., & Towill, D. (1975). An error analysis of the time constant learning curve model. International Journal of Production Research, 13 (2), 105–135.

Hinze, J., & Olbina, S. (2009). Empirical Analysis of the Learning Curve Principle in Prestressed Concrete Piles. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 425–431. Recuperado de: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0000004

Huber, G. P. (1991). Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures. Organization Science, 2 (1), 88–115. doi: http://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2.1.88

Hult, G. T. M., Ketchen, D. J., & Reus, T. H. (2001). Organizational learning capacity and internal customer orientation within strategic sourcing units. Journal of Quality Management, 6 (2), 173–192.

Jarkas, A. M. (2010). Critical Investigation into the Applicability of the Learning Curve Theory to Rebar Fixing Labor Productivity. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 136 (12), 1279–1288. doi: http://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000236

Jarkas, A., & Horner, M. (2011). Revisiting the applicability of learning curve theory to formwork labour productivity. Construction Management and Economics, 29 (5), 483–493. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2011.562911

Kim, D. H. (1993). The link between individual and organizational learning. MIT Sloan Management Review, 35 (1), 37–50.

Levitt, B., & March, J. (1988). Organizational Learning. Annual Review of Sociology, 319–340. doi: http://doi.org/Doi 10.1146/Annurev.So.14.080188.001535

Lloyd, N. (1971). Productivity Gains with the learning curve. Industrial Management, 9–12.

Lombana, J., Amashta, Y., Correa, C., & Rodríguez, M. C. (2017). Benchmarking y análisis de competitividad de las cadenas productivas de quinua en Colombia, Perú y Bolivia. FACE: Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, 17 (2), 157-163. Recuperado de: http://revistas.unipamplona.edu.co/ojs_viceinves/index.php/FACE/article/view/2891

Mazzola, J. B., & McCardle, K. F. (1996). A Bayesian Approach to Managing Learning-Curve Uncertainty. Management Accounting, 42 (5), 680–692.

Moore, J. R., Elshaw, J. J., Badiru, A. B., & Ritschel, J. D. (2015). Acquisition challenge: the importance of incompressibility in Comparing Learning Curve Models. Publication of the Defense Acquisition University, 22 (4), 416–449. Recuperado de: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/21a4/dd13cb9075f01f02a3d1a81b1128bdbf1bf9.pdf

Moya-Espinosa, P. I., Cortés-Rodríguez, N. C., & Martínez-Cárdenas, A. G. (2019). Proceso de toma de decisiones en mipymes hoteleras de Boyacá, Colombia. Revista de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, 9 (2), 237-248. doi: 10.19053/20278306.v9.n2.2019.9159

Olsen, B. T., & Stordahl, K. (2004). Models for forecasting cost evolution of components and technologies. Telektronikk, 4, 138–144.

Ordóñez-Ortega, O., Gualdrón-Pinto, E., & Amaya-Franky, G. (2019). Pensamiento variacional mediado con baldosas algebraicas y manipuladores virtuales. Revista de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, 9 (2), 347-362. doi: 10.19053/20278306.v9.n2.2019.9180

Sáenz-Zapata, J., Lugo-Arias, E., & Parada-Pérez, J. (2019). Determinantes de la competitividad internacional del Departamento del Magdalena Colombia: Un enfoque desde la Teoría de la Complejidad Económica. Saber, Ciencia Y Libertad, 14 (1), 190-210. doi: https://doi.org/10.18041/2382-3240/saber.2019v14n1.5235

Schilling, M. a., Vidal, P., Ployhart, R. E., & Marangoni, A. (2003). Learning by Doing Something Else: Variation, Relatedness, and the Learning Curve. Management Science, 49 (1), 39–56. doi: http://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.49.1.39.12750

Simon, H. a. (1991). Bounded Rationality and Organizational Learning. Organization Science, 2 (1), 125–134. doi: http://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2.1.125

Sinkula, J. M. (1994). Market information processing and organizational learning. The Journal of Marketing, 35–45.

Spence, M. (1981). The Learning Curve and competition. The Bell Journal of Economics, 12 (1), 49–70. doi: http://doi.org/DOI: 10.2307/3003508

Thomas, H. R., Mathews, C. T., & Ward, J. G. (1986). Learning Curve Models of Construction Productivity. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 112 (2), 245–258. doi: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%290733-9364%281986%29112%3A2%28245%29

Thompson, P. (2012). for Organizational Learning-by-Doing, 26 (3), 203–224.

Towill, D. R. (1973). A direct method the determination of learning curve parameters from historical data. International Journal of Production Research, 11 (1). Recuperado de: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207547308929949

Towill, D. R., & Bevis, F. W. (1972). Manegeral control system based on Learning Curve models. International Journal of Production Research, 11 (3), 219–238. Recuperado de: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207547308929967

Ulrich, D., Von Glinow, M., Jick, T., Yeung, A., & Nason, S. (1994). Learning organization, culture change, and competitiveness: How managers can build learning capability. Lexington, MA: The International Consolidation for Executive Development Research.

Vásquez-Roldán, J. S. (2017). El papel del capital humano y las mediciones alternativas de la productividad en la dinámica industrial y los mundos de producción. Revista Espacios, 38 (57), 15. Recuperado de: https://www.revistaespacios.com/a17v38n57/17385715.html

Vergara-Arrieta, J. J. (2015). Los sistemas de medición del desempeño estratégico frente a la competitividad y sustentabilidad. Saber, Ciencia y Libertad, 10 (2), 17-26. Recuperado de: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5295019

William, L. B., & Harter, N. (1899). Studies on the telegraphic language: The acquisition of a hierarchy of habits. Psychological Review, 6, 345–375.

Wilson, J. M., Goodman, P. S., & Cronin, M. A. (2007). Group Organizational. Academy of Management Review, 32 (4), 1041–1059.

Wright, T. P. (1936). Factors Effecting the Cost of Airplanes. Journal of Aereonautical Sciences, 3 (4), 122–128.

Yelle, L. E. (1979). He learning curve: historical review and comprehensive study. Decision Science, 10 (2), 302–328.

Zangwill, W. I., & Kantor, P. B. (1998). Toward a Theory of Continuous Improvement and the Learning Curve. Management Science, 44 (7), 910–920. http://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.44.7.910

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.