Cognitive perspective

This perspective focuses on the human brains functioning in learning

processes and sees behavioralpotential as the outcome of learning. The
definition of learning according to the cognitive perspectiveis: a relatively
permanent change in behavior potential brought by practice or experience
(Morgan,2012). Change resulting from learning doesnt need to be visible
behavior. Learning may result in newsignificant insight and awareness that
dictates no behavioral change (Friendlander, 1983).A cognitive model about
how individuals process the information and respond to external stimuli isthe
stage model of Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968).
Situational perspective
This perspective focuses on the context of learning. Learning takes place in
social settings, i.e.communities, in which a shared world of practice is
developed. The perspective emphasized thatlearning takes place in concrete
situations where individuals interact with others to solve day-to-daybusiness
problems. It shifts the focus from the individual (his or her behavior or
cognition) to thesurrounding environment of the learning individual.

Lecture 13 and 14 Positioning School, Entrepreneurial School and the Power

School

Lecture 11 The Cognitive School

The roots of the Cognitive School lay in the world of psychology. The focus here
is not strategy, but a much broader view: cognition and how cognition
influences people and thus managers in their decision-making processes.
This school has the following premises:
Decisions are central for managing
Decisions are based on cognition
Cognition depends on the perceptions of individuals
And these are influenced by their background, upbringing, culture and peers
(group)As a result, strategy is mainly a perspective.
Strategies lay in peoples minds as frames, models, maps, concepts and
schemas. To find thesestrategies, you have to understand the mental processes
behind it. In this school, theres a focus on thecognitive biases in strategy
making. Specifically, it focuses on the mind of the strategist. How does
heprocess information? In short, it focuses on the creative side of the strategy
process and in focuses onthe individual level. Additional premises: Decision
making is based on individuals cognition Cognition refers to images,
knowledge, and judgments, including the underlying way of

perception (frames, set of mind, cognitive maps, etc.) Consequence for

strategy forming: it takes place in the brain of the strategist. Strategy
emerges as a perspectiveOntology versus EpistemologyOntology is the
question of what is real, what has changed in an organization or, in this case,
what isthe environment. Epistemology is about if you can recognize the
environment, and if yes, how andhow much?There are two wings: objectivists
and subjectivists. The objectivist wing is for the best effort. They see the
environment as a perceived environment, so not an objective environment!
This is a school with in the cognitive school The subjectivist wing see the
environment as an enacted environment: the environment as a product of
managerial beliefs. Merely interpretations of a world that exists only interms of
how it is perceived: lets model the world. This is interpretative and the
constructionist perspective within the cognitive school. Read about this (page
177 and 178)! The lecture slides arentclear.