The role of transformational leadership, organizational culture and organizational learning in improving the performance of Iranian agricultural faculties

Abstract

This empirical research was conducted to investigate the role of transformational leadership, organizational culture and organizational learning in improving the performance of Iranian agricultural faculties and leading them to become learning organizations. The research population consisted of all faculty members of public agricultural faculties affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. A sample of 329 faculty members was selected using stratified random sampling method with proportional allocation. Questionnaire was the main tool for data gathering. Validity of the questionnaire was verified using average variance extracted. Composite reliability coefficients were calculated for determining the reliability of the questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed by structural equation modeling technique using Lisrel 8.50 software package. The results showed that there was a positive and significant relation between contextual components (transformational leadership and learning organizational culture) and process component (organizational learning). These two contextual components could explain 87.3 % of the process component variance. Also, there was a positive and significant relation between process component and performance component, and the process component could explain 36 % of the performance component variance. Our findings support that transformational leadership and learning organizational culture with the effect on organizational learning process not only improve the agricultural faculty performance, but also change them to learning organizations.