How Collaborative Culture Supports for Competitive Advantage: The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning

Abstract

The paper aims to clarify the influences of collaborative culture and specific aspects of organizational learning on competitive advantage. Structural equations modeling (SEM) is applied to test degree of influence of each variable has on each other through using data collected from 298 participants at 150 large manufacturing and service firms. The result shows that organizational learning act as mediating roles in the relationship between collaborative culture and competitive advantage. Our results indicate that collaborative culture practices will yield significant effects to competitive advantage directly or indirectly through improving specifics aspects of organizational learning. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis, which can be used to analyze relationships between collaborative culture, specifics aspects of organizational learning and competitive advantage. From a practical perspective, the study brings more deeply understanding for CEOs/managers about the necessary factors to encourage and promote firm’s competitive advantage.