Extending organizational cognition: A conceptual exploration of mental extension in organizations

The study of collective cognition has taken many forms in recent years, including collective managerial cognition, organizational learning, shared mental models, transactive memory and psychological climate. However, few studies have confronted the foundational ideas underlying group mentality directly, leaving the concept as largely metaphorical. The current work reviews foundational debates around the conceptual components of group minds to serve as a meta-theoretical heuristic to orient future research. To lay out this framework, conceptual distinctions are drawn between phenomenal, vehicle, content and context elements of cognition. Next, existing approaches are reframed as conjunctions of claims across the four levels, leading to a distinction between configurationalist, situated and extended views of collective cognition. Finally, future research is proposed regarding the interfaces between conceptual levels and the possibility of establishing bona fide group mental entities.