Multi-dimensionality of learning in new product development teams

New product development team learning is important in today's turbulent and uncertain markets and technologies. However, the literature treats team learning as a single construct, ignoring its multi-dimensionality. In this study, we develop a multi-dimensional team learning framework based on socio-cognitive constructs. By studying 124 new product development projects, we show empirically that learning in new product development is best conceived as a multi-dimensional structure with nine correlated but distinct constructs including: information acquisition, information implementation, information dissemination, unlearning, thinking, improvisation, memory, intelligence and sensemaking. Further, we demonstrate that a model based on the multi-dimensionality of team learning provides a more robust explanation of new product success than does a unidimensional team learning model.