Organizational Learning Mechanisms Research Articles

Barriers to the development of environmental management accounting

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to attempt to gain an understanding of the root causes of barriers to the development of environmental management accounting in organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs semi‐structured interviews with key informants accompanied by site observations. Key informants include chief operating officers, environmental managers and accounting directors of three pulp and paper companies in Thailand.FindingsThe study identifies the root causes of the barriers: lack of building organizational learning, a narrow focus on economic performance and absence of guidance on environmental management accounting.Research limitations/implicationsAs an exploratory case study, findings cannot necessarily be extrapolated to broader populations. To improve the generalization of the findings, future research should broaden the sample. It would also be beneficial to pursue comparative research between industries, countries and regions.Practical implicationsDeveloping environmental management accounting requires increasing “green” knowledge and generating a wider conception of corporate responsibility throughout an organization. In addition, government agencies have to play a significant role in promoting environmental management accounting.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the influence of organizational learning mechanisms and the role of governments in developing environmental management accounting.

Learning and Change for Sustainability Reconsidered: A Role for Boundary Objects

We explore the organizational learning and change mechanisms that can assist holistic understandings of sustainability knowledge and practice to be shared across the university and other sectors of...

Learning and Change for Sustainability Reconsidered: A Role for Boundary Objects.

We explore the organizational learning and change mechanisms that can assist holistic understandings of sustainability knowledge and practice to be shared across the university and other sectors of...

Exploring organizational learning mechanisms in special education

PurposeThe notion of organizational learning (OL) has reached the forefront of both school change discourse and academic inquiry. However, this notion has not yet undergone deliberate thinking and research within the special education domain. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in the literature by empirically investigating OL through a structural concept – organizational learning mechanisms (OLMs) – as embedded into the learning values (culture) of special education.Design/methodology/approachA case study of three student's functioning levels (low, intermediate, and high) in a special education school provided the context for studying OLMs and the learning values (culture) influencing their productivity.FindingsThis paper supports the existence of and the capacity for systematic learning through institutionalized structures and procedures in a special education school. This paper also illuminates the effect of learning values (culture) on the effectiveness of OLMs in a special education school.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizing from this case study (a special education school comprising three levels of student functioning) is quite problematic. However, this paper supports the merit of empirically researching OL in special education schools through the structural‐cultural framework.Originality/valueThis paper provides a useful conceptual and empirical framework to evaluate special education schools as learning organizations.

How to Learn Knowledge from Foreign Partner: A Case Study of Japanese Joint Venture in Indonesia

This research focuses on how local partner learn knowledge from foreign partner in Japanese joint venture in emerging economies context. Contribution of this research is as follows. First, by distinguishing the type and characteristics of each process, this typology enhances our understanding about JV as useful organizational learning mechanism, particularly in Japanese joint venture in emerging economies and about the source of firm’s heterogeneity underlying learning process. Second, this extensive in-depth case study provides the clear evidences of the importance of internal learning capability process to improve technological capability, absorptive capacity, and relational rents generated from resource sharing mechanism. Third, this study, to best knowledge, is a pioneer research in Indonesia since technological issues have been paid little attention from scholars.

Continuous improvement: role of organisational learning mechanisms

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the use of the performance measurement system as an organizational learning mechanism to support continuous improvement.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the results of a survey of Australian organizations certified to quality standard ISO 9000.Findings – For those respondents who consider their organization's quality program to be successful, the findings indicate that such organizations have embedded quality into the culture of the organization, and have developed performance measurement systems as an organizational learning mechanism to support the continuous improvement initiatives.Practical implications – The paper highlights the need for management to ensure that the organization's management control systems are structured to support continuous improvement initiatives.Originality/value – The paper explores the links between continuous improvement and organizational learning.

Mecanismos de aprendizagem em organizações: desenvolvimento e validação de uma escala de medida

O presente estudo objetivou desenvolver e validar a Escala de Mecanismos de Aprendizagem em Organizações (Emao). A partir da Measurement Scale of Organizational Learning de López, Peón e Ordás (2005), composta dos fatores aquisição do conhecimento, distribuição, interpretação e memória organizacional, foi realizada a tradução dos itens da língua inglesa para o português e adequação de linguagem para a cultura brasileira. Feito isso, realizou-se a análise de construto e semântica dos itens; e dos 25 itens originais, 22 permaneceram para validação empírica da escala. Quinhentos e vinte e dois funcionários de uma instituição financeira com sede em Brasília (DF) responderam ao instrumento de pesquisa. Após as análises fatoriais, identificou-se a melhor solução (rotação Varimax) com três fatores, de KMO igual a 0,92. Os fatores foram denominados: Aquisição Interna e Externa de Conhecimentos (7 itens, Q = 0,81), Compartilhamento de Conhecimentos (11 itens, Q = 0,87) e Codificação e Controle de Conhecimentos (4 itens, Q = 0,71). Concluindo o estudo, descrevem-se recomendações para futuras pesquisas visando ao melhoramento da escala validada, bem como à realização de estudos que verifiquem as relações entre mecanismos de aprendizagem em organizações com outras variáveis da literatura de comportamento organizacional.

Learning investments and organizational capabilities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve understanding and provide guidance for investments in organizational learning mechanisms for the establishment and evolution of organizational capabilities such as project portfolio management (PPM) and project management capabilities.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐case study research project investigates the development of PPM capabilities in six successful organizations across diverse industries.FindingsThe research indicates that PPM and organizational learning are dynamic capabilities that enhance an organization's ability to achieve and maintain competitive advantage in dynamic environments. PPM capabilities are shown to co‐evolve through a combination of tacit experience accumulation, explicit knowledge articulation and explicit knowledge codification learning mechanisms. Although all three learning mechanisms are important throughout the establishment and evolution of PPM capability development, the research indicates that the development of an effective PPM capability will require particularly strong investments in enhancing tacit experience accumulation mechanisms and explicit knowledge codification mechanisms during the initial establishment or during periods of radical change to the PPM process.Research limitations/implicationsThe research includes a sample of six case studies and the results may not be generalisable. In addition, the research was conducted over a short period of time whereas a longitudinal study would be required to gain more detailed information about the development of capabilities over time.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that managers can enhance and sustain competitive advantage by investing in tacit experience accumulation as well as explicit knowledge articulation and codification learning mechanisms to develop their PPM capability. Strengthened investment in experience accumulation and knowledge codification learning mechanisms is recommended during establishment of the PPM capability.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the understanding of the links between organizational learning and the development of dynamic capabilities. Original hypotheses are proposed and some initial support for these hypotheses is provided through multiple‐case study research.

How Do Firms Learn to Make Acquisitions? A Review of Past Research and an Agenda for the Future

How do firms learn to successfully acquire other firms? The authors first review early work, mostly from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, testing the learning curve perspective on acquisitions and exploring some contingencies. They then discuss three more recent streams of research on negative experience transfer, deliberate learning mechanisms, and learning from others, which provide deeper insight into the contingencies and mechanisms of organizational learning in strategic settings such as acquisitions. The article concludes with an agenda for future research.

Exploring Organizational Learning Mechanisms in Small‐Size Business Enterprises

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the importance of existing organizational learning mechanisms and establish the size and magnitude of the relationship among the organizational learning mechanisms. Of great import also was to determine whether statistically significant relationships existed among the organizational learning mechanisms. An exploratory correlational research design was utilized to survey 498 employees from seven small‐size business enterprises located in the Southern and Mid‐Western United States. Mean scores indicated that respondents perceived leadership and evaluative inquiry as the prevalent learning mechanisms within the organizations studied. According to the findings, certain types of small‐size business enterprises exhibit organizational learning characteristics more so than do others involved in the study. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the learning mechanisms leadership and culture had the highest level of association, followed by culture and systems and structures.

Organizational Learning Mechanisms: The Meaning, Measure, and Implications for School Improvement

Purpose: In light of the excessively broad conceptions and nonobservable terms generally characterizing discussions of organizational learning, this study explores the notion of organizational learning in schools through the conceptual framework of organizational learning mechanisms (OLM) and develops a measure of OLM at the elementary school level.Research Design: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of items are conducted to examine factorial validity. To test the criterion-related validity, the OLM scale is correlated to other established constructs.Findings: Based on information processing (management science perspective), the four-factor model of OLM in elementary schools is the best fit between the empirical results and the conceptual formulation. The four-factor model includes the following subscales: analyzing information, storing—retrieving—putting to use of information, receiving—disseminating information, and seeking information.Implications: This study strengthens the feasibility of the OLM framework, based on information processing, to provide a concrete description of organizational learning processes in schools. Using this instrument, schools can assess their own learning cycle, gauging their readiness and increasing their preparation for becoming learning organizations. This study may encourage researchers to explore whether OLM can serve as mediating variable between the system level and the classroom level.

Do sustainability projects stimulate organizational learning in universities?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the preparation of a sustainability report and a large‐scale energy‐saving campaign with regards to their role for organizational learning (OL). Similar processes indicating OL were observed during the implementation of both projects. Along the lines of a theoretical framework of OL these processes will be discussed. Potential of institutional transformation regarding sustainable development is indicated.Design/methodology/approachFollowing calls for “unified theory” on OL which can be used for empirical research, an integrative perspective has been proposed. Based on this perspective, two projects are discussed with respect to five dimensions in the process of OL: actors and media as communicative characteristics and triggers, factors as well as results as information processing characteristics.FindingsThe results show the driving role of making data available to the public (transparency as incentive for organizational change) and the need to change structures for cross‐linking information. Furthermore, benefits of creating new networks of actors for reflecting current structures and developing visions for future change are outlined.Practical implicationsPossibilities for transferring the project designs and experiences to other institutions are shown. Need for further research on the mechanisms of OL for promoting structural change toward a stronger role of sustainability in higher education is indicated.Originality/valueThe perspective of OL for sustainability reporting and energy saving offers new perspectives for internal change processes triggered by sustainability related projects. Promising research opportunities on triggers and drivers of such processes evolve.

Firm-level correlates of emergent green supply chain management practices in the Chinese context

Greening the supply chain is increasingly a concern for many business enterprises and a challenge for logistics management in the 21st century. Of particular concern is how to arouse organizational environmental awareness and put environmental activities into practice in the logistics activities of their supply chains. This paper investigates the correlation of two major factors, organizational learning and management support, with the extent of adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in Chinese manufacturing firms, where their inbound and outbound logistics activities are potential polluters to the environment. Organizational and operational learning was derived from the firm's experience with programs such as total quality management and environmental management systems. Management support included support for GSCM ideas and practices from top and middle-level management and cooperation across organizational functions. We find significant positive relationships between organizational learning mechanisms, organizational support and the adoption of GSCM practices, after controlling for a number of other influences including regulations, marketing, supplier, cost pressures, industry levels of the relevant practice and organizational size. Implications of our findings on logistics management are discussed.

How Organizations Learn: Post-flight Reviews in an F-16 Fighter Squadron

We present an in-depth analysis of post-flight reviews in a fighter aircraft squadron of the Israel Defense Force Air Force. Our findings demonstrate how organizations can learn non-metaphorically and highlight the dynamics of learning in a central organizational learning mechanism in this type of after-action review. They also show that learning in the post-flight reviews is a multi-layered process of retrospective sense-making, detection and correction of error, social comparison, social control, socialization, and bonding, where lessons-learned pertain to different domains and different levels — individual, unit, and Force-wide. The process is facilitated by five values specified by the multi-facet model (Lipshitz, Popper and Friedman 2002), and the assumption that learning through critical examination of one's own experience is the key to improvement.

Developing Web-based Tools for Teaching, Training, Learning and Development

Increasing demands and decreasing resources in the built environment sector point to critical needs for more effective teaching and learning tools for academia, as well as more efficient individual training and organizational learning mechanisms for industry. This paper ‘overviews’ two Web-based tools that target the upgrading of teaching-learning-training opportunities of university students and small and medium contractors (SMCs), respectively. Although these developments are based in Hong Kong, the overviews are preceded by a review of various challenges facing students and SMCs and the need for information and communication technology (ICT)-aided enterprise education in general. In terms of undergraduate teaching-learning, the reduced opportunities for actual site visits are being compensated for through Web-based ‘virtual site visits’, while supplementary knowledge on specific topics, such as ‘construction work study’, have also been captured in CIVCAL—a computer-aided teaching—learning package for civil engineering, building and construction undergraduates. The needs of SMCs in Hong Kong are being prioritized and addressed by the academia-led SMILE-SMC project, which it is envisaged will be eventually accessed by ‘large’ contractors, as well as consultants and clients. This would then enable them to communicate seamlessly on project-specific information management platforms to improve performance on specific projects and, indeed, across more sustainable construction supply chains.

Organizational Learning Mechanisms: Exploring a Conceptual Framework for Organizational Learning in Schools

In light of the complexity and wealth of information in societies today the notion of organizational learning has become the forerunner of school change discourse. However, organizational learning is still characterized by mystical and amorphous rhetoric, understood well neither by researchers nor by practitioners. Therefore, this article is an attempt to explore the notion of organizational learning through the concept of organizational learning mechanisms (OLMs) and the culture in which they are embedded. A case study in a large school, comprised of middle and secondary grades, provided the context for studying OLMs and the learning values (culture) influencing their productivity. The study strengthens the ability to empirically research learning by schools through the structural and cultural framework. Lessons drawn from the study and future research, which may contribute to the field of organizational learning, are discussed

Goal-Based Learning and the Future of Performance Management

All levels of government have begun to pursue results-based reforms, which assume that managers will use performance information to make better decisions. However, reforms have neglected the insights of a large and relevant literature on organizational learning. This article revisits this literature, treating results-based reform as an organizational learning mechanism and a deliberate structural effort to induce learning. From an organizational learning perspective, most results-based reforms target narrow process improvement (single-loop learning) rather than a broad understanding of policy choices and effectiveness (double-loop learning), even though the latter is more critical for long-term organizational success. Case evidence from state governments illustrates single- and double-loop learning and the importance of two frequently neglected aspects of organizational learning: learning forums—routines where performance information is deliberately examined—and the role of organizational culture in enabling or limiting learning.

Leadership styles and organizational learning in community clinics

PurposeThe correlation between organizational unit managers’ leadership styles and the level of organizational learning in their units was tested.Design/methodology/approachA positive correlation was hypothesized between transformational leadership and organizational learning as manifested by organizational learning mechanisms – OLMs (the structural component) and by organizational learning values (the cultural component). The research was conducted at 44 community clinics of a health‐care organization in Israel.FindingsThe findings attested to the central role of organizational leaders in determining the effectiveness of organizational learning. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed.Originality/valueSuggests that, in addition to separating the sources of reporting, and increasing the number of measures, future studies should also extend the research to different kinds of organizations, addressing different purposes, environments, work forces, and so forth.

Organizational Learning Mechanisms and Managers’ Perceived Uncertainty

The present study examined the relations between perceived environmental/technological uncertainty among managers and intensity of use of organizational learning mechanisms. Confirming the research hypotheses, negative relations were found between the intensity of use of each of the five factors of organizational learning mechanisms (formal learning processes, information dissemination, training, information gathering, information storage and retrieval) and perceived environmental/technological uncertainty. These correlations were higher in the organizations that function under uncertain as opposed to certain environments. Finally, when perceived uncertainty was regressed on the five factors of organizational learning mechanisms, information gathering came out with a positive regression weight, that is, when organizational learning mechanisms like information dissemination, training or information storage and retrieval are held constant, information gathering is positively related to uncertainty.

Quantifying `ba': An Investigation of the Variables that are Pertinent to Knowledge Creation

A comprehensive and feasible model that delineates the interrelationships among diversified learning mechanisms, information management and knowledge creation is absent. This study aims to fill this void. Unlike previous research, this study investigates the causality of knowledge creation from two different perspectives: information management strategy, i.e. distributed data application and administration (DDAA), and organizational learning mechanisms (OLM). A term has been defined, OIM (organizational information mechanism), to represent the composite effect of both DDAA and OLM. In this framework, it is argued that the composite effect of information management and organizational learning mechanisms influence the result of knowledge creation. In order to test the feasibility of this framework, an empirical study was conducted. This study employed a survey instrument which contained data collected from 500 organizations in manufacturing, trade, transportation and service industries, and academic institutions. In all, 232 usable responses were analysed. The study identified three causal relationships: (1) the composite effect of DDAA is positively related to knowledge creation; (2) the composite effect of OLM is positively related to knowledge creation; and (3) the composite effect of OIM (organizational information mechanism) is positively related to knowledge creation. The implications of the study are discussed, and further research directions are proposed.