Organisational cognition: A critical look at the theories in use

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with exploring the ontology of organisational cognition (OC) through conceptual mapping in order to recognise and understand what OC really is about. The objective is not to provide a comprehensive literature review of this area, but to map the concept so that both meaning and extent of its reach can be better defined. In so doing, the article considers several perspectives under which the domain of “organisation” interacts with or relate to “cognition” (or it does not do so). A table that summarises similarities and differences among approaches is presented. Finally, the table is then used as a tool to demonstrate overlaps, gaps, and define possible directions for future research in the OC field.