CentER

Frank Wijen

Abstract:
While learning and influence are well-established areas of research, their interactions have rarely been addressed in organisational studies. This dissertation explores the common ground between influence that is mediated by stakeholders and learning that occurs in business organisations. The study is applied to the field of environmental management. Literature is drawn on to develop a dynamic process model on the triggers to learning processes, key roles taken by actors in learning, and the evolution of stakeholder relations. This model leads to a set of hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested empirically by means of longitudinal case studies of the stakeholders in and around six large business organisations. The results largely support the theoretical framework. It is concluded that processes of influence and learning that reinforce or offset one another can be better understood and managed when static and dynamic interrelations among stakeholders are considered. Consequently, academics should focus more on configurations of interrelated factors, while practitioners should pay more heed to the alignment among different actors.