| Article ID: | iaor200254 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 8 |
| Issue: | 5 |
| Start Page Number: | 528 |
| End Page Number: | 542 |
| Publication Date: | Sep 1997 |
| Journal: | Organization Science |
| Authors: | Koput Kenneth W. |
| Keywords: | simulation |
The dynamics of innovative search are investigated. A formal learning model is explicated to understand (1) how attention is allocated and (2) how attention and ideas are related during an active search. A particular chaotic regime of the model is shown to have dynamics similar to an actual search process. This motivates an agenda for research along three primary directions: refinements to the model, extensions that link the model to actions and decisions, and surroundings required to embed such a model in a larger context. The findings here suggest that chaos can occur in specific organizational processes over particular periods of time. Whether such chaos is beneficial to organizations is unclear.