Organizational assimilation in temporary organizations: An exploratory study in management education
Keywords:
organizational assimilation; temporary organization; team performance; management education; convergence; shared cognitionAbstract
This study examines how organizational assimilation processes influence individual and team performance within a management education setting. Building on prior evidence that teaching operations management fosters convergence in students’ thinking and decision-making, we extend the inquiry by conceptualizing convergence as an assimilation process within a temporary organization—the classroom. Using a longitudinal survey design and non-parametric analysis of EMBA students’ responses, we find that teaching leads to significant convergence in decision-making approaches and that such convergence positively affects team performance but not individual exam performance. These findings contribute to administrative sciences by extending organizational assimilation and shared cognition theories into educational environments, with practical implications for organizational learning, onboarding, and team-based learning systems.
References
1. Dewey J. How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. D.C. Heath; 1933.
2. Baron J. Reflective thinking as a goal of education. Intelligence. 1981; 5(4): 291–309.
3. Anderson ML, Lu F. Learning to Manage and Managing to Learn: The Effects of Student Leadership Service. Management Science. 2016; 63(10): 3246–3261.
4. Rahmat NH, Othman NA, Muhammad AM, et al. Assimilation and accommodation: exploring the dynamics of class discussions. European Journal of Education Studies. 2019; 6(1): 222–238.
5. He P, Edwards JC, Schwarte Y. Cultivating connectedness and elevating educational experiences for international students in blended learning: reflections from the pandemic era and key takeaways. Journal of International Education in Business. 2024; 17(2): 193–209.
6. Blazar D, Kraft MA. Teacher and teaching effects on students’ attitudes and behavior. Education Evaluation Policy Analysis. 2017; 39(1): 146–170.
7. Kim B. Teaching operations management for students’ thinking and decision-making. International Journal of Information and Operations Management Education. 2024; 7(4): 332–347.
8. Argote L. Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge. Springer; 2013.
9. Kim B. Supply Chain Management: A Learning Perspective. Cambridge University Press; 2018.
10. Longbottom JE, Butler PH. Why teach science? Setting rational goals for science education. Science Education. 1999; 83(4): 473–492
11. Stout RJ, Cannon-Bowers JA, Salas E, Milanovich DM. Planning, Shared Mental Models, and Coordinated Performance: An Empirical Link Is Established. Human Factors. 1999; 41(1): 61–71.
12. Gailliard BM, Myers KK, Seibold DR. Organizational Assimilation: A Multidimensional Reconceptualization and Measure. Management Communication Quarterly. 2010; 24(4): 552–578.
13. Balwant PT. Teaching flexible leadership via an experiential learning exercise: A simulation and self-reflection. Journal of Education for Business. 2022; 97(8): 562–574.
14. Aguirre G, Hyman MR, Goudge D, et al. Teaching ethics to marketing and logistics majors: A transformative learning experiment. Journal of Education for Business. 2017; 92(3): 121–128.
15. Anwar I, Thoudam P, Saleem I. Role of entrepreneurial education in shaping entrepreneurial intention among university students: Testing the hypotheses using mediation and moderation approach. Journal of Education for Business. 2022; 97(1): 8–20.
16. Connell NAD, Klein JH, Powell PL. It’s tacit knowledge but not as we know it: Redirecting the search for knowledge. Journal of the Operational Research Society. 2003; 54(2): 140–152.
17. Williams JAS, Reid R, Billings PE, Belford NC. Engaging Students in Optimization Modeling: Gaining Business Disruption Insights. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2022; 24(1): 1–117.
18. Jones JS, Olson JR, Southard P. Kaizen Events at the University of St. Thomas: Experiential Learning for Students. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2021; 21(3): 115–129.
19. Carreras AL, Kaur P. Teaching Problem Structuring Methods: Improving Understanding Through Meaningful Learning. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2011; 12(1): 20–30.
20. Babier A, Fernandes C, Zhu IY. Advising Student-Driven Analytics Projects: A Summary of Experiences and Lessons Learned. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2022; 23(2): 57–135.
21. Drake MJ. Teaching OR/MS with Cases: A Review and New Suggestions. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2019; 19(2): 57–66.
22. Carlos-Arroyo M, Vázquez-Parra JC, Cruz-Sandoval M, Romero-Rodríguez JM. Development of complex thinking in a professional training process: An approach to business students of a Mexican University. Journal of Education for Business. 2023; 98(8): 483–491. doi: 10.1080/08832323.2023.2233044
23. Seidel VP, Marion TJ, Fixson SK. Innovating How to Learn Design Thinking, Making, and Innovation: Incorporating Multiple Modes in Teaching the Innovation Process. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2020; 20(2): 73–84.
24. Natarajarathinam M, Qiu S, Lu W. (2022). Designing and Assessing a Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Course in Supply Chain Management. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2022; 23(3): 137–217.
25. Elsawah S, Ho ATL, Ryan MJ. Teaching Systems Thinking in Higher Education. INFORMS Transactions on Education. 2022; 22(2): 66–102.
26. Argyris C. Knowledge for Action. A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change. Jossey Bass; 1993.
27. Jablin FM. Organizational entry, assimilation, and exit. In: Jablin FM, Putnam LL, Roberts KH, Porter LW (editors). Handbook of organizational communication: An interdisciplinary perspective. Sage; 1987. pp. 679–740.
28. Anderson SW, Kimball A. Evidence for the Feedback Role of Performance Measurement Systems. Management Science. 2019; 65(9): 4385–4406.
29. Rentsch JR, Klimoski RJ. Why do ‘great minds’ think alike?: Antecedents of team member schema agreement. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 2001; 22: 107–120.
30. Cooke NJ, Gorman JC, Myers CW, Duran JL. Interactive Team Cognition. Cognitive Science. 2013; 37: 255–285.
31. Canonne C, Aucouturier JJ. Play together, think alike: Shared mental models in expert music improvisers. Psychology of Music. 2015; 44(3): 544–558.
32. Mohammed S, Ferzandi L, Hamilton K. Metaphor no more: A 15-year review of the team mental model construct. Journal of Management. 2010; 36(4): 876–910. doi: 10.1177/0149206309356804
33. Cannon-Bowers JA, Salas E. Reflections on shared cognition. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 2001; 22(2): 195–202. doi: 10.1002/job.82
34. Reagans R, Argote L, Brooks D. Individual Experience and Experience Working Together: Predicting Learning Rates from Knowing Who Knows What and Knowing How to Work Together. Management Science. 2005; 51(6): 869–881.
35. Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE. Multivariate data analysis, 7th ed. Pearson Educational International; 2010.
36. Watson K, Klingenberg B, Polito T, Geurts TG. Impact of environmental management system implementation on financial performance: A comparison of two corporate strategies. Management of Environmental Quality. 2004; 15(6): 622–628.
37. Bauer TN, Bodner T, Erdogan B, Truxillo DM, Tucker JS. Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta‐analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2007; 92(3): 707–721. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707
38. Schön DA. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge; 1983.
39. Brown JA. Experiential learning beyond the textbook in operations management. Journal of Education for Business. 2023; 98(6): 331–337.
40. Lave J, Wenger E. Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press; 1991.
41. Kolb DA. Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall; 1984.
42. Sweller J. Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science. 1988; 12(2): 257–285. doi: 10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4
43. Edmondson A. Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly. 1999; 44(2): 350–383. doi: 10.2307/2666999
44. Baldwin TT, Ford JK. Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel Psychology. 1988; 41(1): 63–105. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1988.tb00632.x
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
