Organizational Learning Theory Research Articles

Linking organisational learning, performance, and sustainable performance in universities: an empirical study in Europe

Universities are facing changes that could be adapted by learning. Organisational learning helps universities in attaining better organisational and sustainable performance. The study aims to combine and explore how organisational learning culture enables organisational learning to contribute to better organisational performance and better sustainable performance, following the natural resource-based view and organisational learning theory. The study examines the relationship between organisational learning culture, organisational learning, organisational performance, and sustainable performance in the university context from university teachers. The author collected 221 surveys from public university teachers in Europe to test the model. The results indicate a positive relationship between organisational learning culture and organisational learning. In addition to that, the positive relationship between organisational learning and organisational performance is indicated. Moreover, the results indicate a positive relationship between organisational learning and sustainable performance. The results also show that the organisational learning process mediates organisational learning culture and university performance. The study addresses a gap in the scarce studies in the university context for organisational learning and sustainable performance. Finally, this study reproduces an organisational model that has been adapted for universities.

Exploring R&D network resilience under risk propagation: An organizational learning perspective

Through the development of a risk propagation model, this paper investigates R&D network resilience under risk propagation from an organizational learning perspective. Drawing from organizational learning theory, we first quantify failure experience in the context of risk propagation. Then a risk propagation model is developed, which is composed of two parts: spontaneous mechanism and propagation mechanism. Finally, we implement agent-based simulation to show how organizational learning and forgetting impact on R&D network resilience and firm vulnerability under risk propagation. Our results show a significant association between organizational learning and both network resilience and firm vulnerability. However, the results differ in different levels of risk. When the propagation probability is low, network resilience can be enhanced through improving the learning ability or decreasing forgetting for both high-vulnerable and low-vulnerable firms. However, in other scenarios, the low-vulnerable firms are more critical to network resilience. Additionally, the impact of firm failure magnitude on enhancing network resilience will gradually decrease with the increase of firm learning rate. Our results will help practitioners understand the effect of organizational learning on R&D network resilience and support decision-making in risk management.

Big data analytics and environmental performance: The moderating role of internationalization

This study investigates the influence of big data analytics on environmental performance in the context of US Fortune 500 listed internationalizing companies from 2010 to 2021. Grounded in organizational learning theory, our results highlight BDA's positive impact, enabling firms to adapt and enhance environmental practices throughdata-driven insights. Furthermore, the study reveals the moderating role of internationalization, emphasizing the strategic management of knowledge and engagement with diverse stakeholders as pivotal factors in enhancing the positive influence of BDA on environmental performance. These findings offer valuable insights for organizations leveraging data analytics to address environmental challenges in the global business landscape.

Examining the Impact of Trust-Based Active Participation: An Empirical Study in Creative Industry That Adopt Digital Platform

The main challenge in building a creative industry that acquires a digital platform is the limited ideas used to encourage the presence of booming products and the limited understanding of employees of creative industry players in dealing with technological changes; this is in line with the phenomenon where 31.40% of digital business actors in Indonesia are still experiencing a decline in revenue in 2022. In connection with the main obstacles, this research aims to find constructs capable of mediating the role of technology in the form of Social Media Use to Work (SMUW) in its impact on Creative Performance (CP). Where SMUW, in many studies, has no significant effect on building CP. This study offers the role of Trust-Based Active Participation (TBAP) and Innovative Culture (IC) in mediating SMUW against CP. The object of this research is the creative industry that uses digital platforms, with a total sample of 188 businesses. This study empirically proves that SMUW does not significantly affect CP, but TBAP and IC can boost SMUW on CP with a a total effect of 0.384. From this achievement, it is proven empirically that TBAP and IC can fully mediate the role of SMUW on CP. In implementing the strategy, it was found that in order to optimize the role of SMUW for CP. This contributes to the domain of learning organization theory and middle ring dynamic capability.

Enhancing entrepreneurial orientation in high-tech firms: the role of ambidextrous learning and business model innovation

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurial orientation has been recognised as a key driver for bolstering a firm's core competitiveness and fostering the creation of novel advantages. However, the efficacy of entrepreneurial orientation in enhancing the high-tech firm performance has been a controversial issue. We propose an ‘orientation-learning-innovation-performance’ model, which employs the concepts of ambidextrous learning and business model innovation to explore the effects of entrepreneurial orientation on high-tech firm performance within a dynamic environment. PLS-SEM was used to test data gathered from 291 high-tech firms. The results reveal that entrepreneurial orientation does not exert a direct influence on high-tech firm performance, while the mediation role of exploitative learning is not significant. Entrepreneurial orientation mainly influences high-tech firm performance through exploratory learning, ambidextrous learning and business model innovation. This influence is further amplified in contexts characterised by environmental dynamism. Our findings contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial orientation and organisational learning theory, providing insights that firms can use to enhance efficiency and maintain a competitive advantage.

Unleashing synergy: exploring the impact of experiential learning and component technology on integration implementation strategy in cross-border technological acquisitions

PurposeDrawing on organizational design theory and organizational learning theory, this paper aims to examine component technology (CT) and the interaction between CT and experiential learning (EL) effects on the degree of integration (DI) of cross-border technological acquisitions.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 267 firms consisting of 229 acquirer firms who started cross-border technological acquisitions from developed economies and 38 acquirer firms who initiated cross-border technological acquisitions from emerging economies over the period of 1993–2016, this study adopts a value chain framework to measure the acquirers’ acquisition integration degree for the investigation of the effects of CT and the interaction between CT and EL.FindingsFirst, this paper finds CT in cross-border technological acquisitions exerting a positive influence on the acquirer firm’s likelihood of the DI implementation, in line with the organizational design theory. Second, in view of organizational learning theory, this study finds EL and the combined effect of CT and EL to have an inverse influence on the DI.Practical implicationsThe results imply that the moderating role of EL significantly optimizes decision choices for an acquirer firm for integration implementation strategies in the form of DI, such as full integration (structural integration), partial integration and no integration (structural separation), which appears to be crucial for cross-border technological acquisitions.Originality/valueThis study contributed to international business strategies by shedding light on the importance of the DI for an acquirer firm that undertakes a cross-border technological acquisition with a CT target firm. This study explains why structural integration might be necessary in cross-border technological acquisitions regardless of the costs of disruption it imposes, as well as the contexts in which it becomes less important or unnecessary. The study disclosed that the increase in the likelihood of DI because of CT depends on the EL of the acquisition company in the host country environment and fluctuates with the prior acquisition knowledge and EL of the host country. Combining two cross-border technological acquisition’s literature streams, such as CT and EL, this study enlightens the importance of organizational learning theory and theory of organization design strategic direction making on acquisition integration implementation strategies.

Lean transportation tools towards waste reduction and digital transformation in the offshore industry: an action-research

Purpose To address the absence of Lean in transportation logistics in the digital era, this study aims to investigate the application of Lean transportation (LT) tools to reduce waste and facilitate the digital transformation of dedicated road transportation in the offshore industry. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts action research with a multimethod approach, including a scoping review, focus groups (FG) and participant observation. The research is conducted within the offshore supply chain of a major oil and gas company. Findings Implementing LT’s continuous improvement tools, particularly value stream mapping (VSM), reduces offshore transportation waste and provides empirical evidence about the intersection of Lean and digital technologies. Applying techniques drawn from organisational learning theory (OLT), stakeholders involved in VSM mapping and FGs engage in problem-solving and develop action plans, driving digital transformation. Waste reduction in loading and unloading stages leads to control actions, automation and process improvements, significantly reducing downtime. This results in an annual monetary gain of US$1.3m. The study also identifies waste related to human effort and underutilised digital resources. Originality/value This study contributes to theory and practice by using action research and LT techniques in a real intervention case. From the lens of OLT, it highlights the potential of LT tools for digital transformation and demonstrates the convergence of waste reduction through Lean and Industry 4.0 technologies in the offshore supply chain. Practical outputs, including a benchmarking questionnaire and a plan-do-check-act cycle, are provided for other companies in the same industry segment.

Energy Transition Readiness: A Practical Guide

This paper addresses the challenge of assessing Energy Transition Readiness levels in businesses. It identifies gaps in existing literature concerning energy transitions and readiness levels. To tackle this, the paper employs organizational learning theory as its foundational model and introduces a new taxonomy of key energy readiness indicators. This taxonomy offers a practical guide for business professionals to implement targeted interventions effectively. Additionally, it enables benchmarking and comparison of sector and industry actors. In summary, the integration of organizational learning theory expands the discourse on strategically managing global challenges.

Unveiling the Impact of Communication Network on Engineering Project Team Performance: The Interplay of Centralization and Tie Strength.

Recent research has focused on the impact of communication networks on the performance of construction project teams, attempting empirical exploration from various social network analysis perspectives. However, there is still a significant gap in understanding the variations in performance and the mechanisms for teams using different communication networks. Drawing from organizational learning theory and social network theory, this study, based on the Input-Mediator-Output (IMO) model, explores the effects of the interaction between centralization and tie strength in communication networks on team performance, as well as the mediating mechanisms of knowledge sharing behavior and team resilience performance in engineering project teams. Drawing on classic group communication experiment, we design an online communication and collaboration platform to simulate the execution of a construction engineering project. Finally, data was collected through the communication experiment with 720 participants, and hypotheses were tested using ANOVA and PROCESS. The results indicate that under conditions of weak tie strength, centralized communication networks yield higher performance. Conversely, under conditions of strong tie strength, decentralized communication networks demonstrate superior performance. Furthermore, this study also verifies the mediating role of knowledge sharing behavior and team resilience performance when tie strength is strong. This study focuses on engineering project team, exploring the evolutionary development of knowledge sharing behavior and team resilience performance from the perspective of the interaction of communication network structural characteristics, as well as the paths to enhancing team performance. Our research results highlight the interactive effects of structural indicators and relational indicators of communication networks, revealing the mechanism by which the structure of communication networks impacts team performance. Additionally, from the perspectives of forming and timely adjusting team communication models, and motivating and supporting employee communication behavior, our study provides practical insights for project managers and relevant administrators.

Through the lens of learning organization theory: strategies used when introducing new work methods as described by practitioners and leaders in social services

ABSTRACT This article uses learning organization theory to explore how practitioners and leaders in social services experience the process of introducing new work methods. Secondary analysis of data from interviews with 13 social service practitioners and managers (employed by various municipalities in Stockholm County, Sweden) was conducted, following their participation in an intervention aimed at supporting the process of managing fidelity and adaptations. A thematic approach in the data analysis was guided by the ‘Three Building Blocks of a Learning Organization’. The findings present examples of situations and actions that reveal how practitioners in social services apply important aspects of learning organization theory. Central components of learning organization theory are found to varying extents in all identified strategies used in the initial stage, implementation stage, and follow-up stage.

Learning from Failures: Differentiating Between Slip-ups and Knowledge Gaps

Our research investigates firm learning from failures by dividing them into two types, failures that occur due to slip-ups and those that occur due to knowledge gaps, and by examining whether learning occurs in the context of both types of failures. We study these phenomena in the context of product recalls in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Based on text analysis of recall documents, recalls are divided into process related and design related to represent slip-up failures and knowledge gap failures. We further study how innovation capabilities, represented by accumulated stocks of patents and lagged research and development (R&D) intensity, impact learning from both types of failures. We test our hypotheses using negative binomial generalized linear models to analyze longitudinal data for 108 publicly traded U.S. firms over 2000–2016 comprising 7,984 recalls. Results indicate that design-related recalls generate learning to a greater extent than process-related recalls, and that accumulated patents and lagged R&D intensity enhance learning from design-related recalls. These findings suggest that the learning mechanisms invoked by failures are concentrated more on knowledge gap failures than slip-up failures, and such learning is impacted by innovation capabilities. Overall, this research extends organizational learning theory by differentiating between learning from different types of failures and extends absorptive capacity theory by incorporating the role of innovation capabilities in enhancing learning from failures. We develop recommendations for learning from slip-up failures by focusing on the cultural and social mechanisms of organizational learning in addition to the technical and structural mechanisms that may mainly impact learning from knowledge gap failures. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.15663 .

The two faces of hierarchy: CEO power and TMT learning diversity in technology venture innovation

AbstractThe relationship between top management team (TMT) members’ learning behavior and the innovation strategy of technology ventures remains unclear, especially when complicated by social hierarchies within the team. We draw on organizational learning theory to theorize that diversity in TMT members’ learning behavior has both positive and negative latent effects that produce an inverted U-shaped relationship between TMT learning diversity and a firm’s radical innovation strategy. Building on the social hierarchy literature, we also suggest that CEO power moderates this relationship by altering the latent forces: structurally powerful CEOs neutralize the benefits of TMT learning diversity, turning the link between learning diversity and radical innovation strategy predominantly negative, whereas prestigiously powerful CEOs neutralize the costs of TMT learning diversity, turning its relationship with the firm’s radical innovation strategy predominantly positive. Longitudinal, multi-source data from 77 TMTs support our model. The findings contribute to the research on learning and social hierarchies by illustrating how hierarchies rooted in different sources of power have different effects on the relationship between TMT learning diversity and innovation strategy.

How Does the Level of Control, Support, and Social Integration of the Parent Firm Affect the Exploitative/Explorative Capabilities of the Foreign Subsidiary? Empirical Evidence from Korean Listed Firms

Purpose - Based on organizational learning theory, this study empirically analyzes the effect of the control level, support level, and social integration level of the headquarters on the exploitative and explorative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries. Design/Methodology – To test the research hypotheses, a survey of foreign subsidiaries of Korean listed firms was conducted, and regression analysis was performed on the 400 returned data. Findings - The analysis reveals that the level of parent control does insignificantly affect the exploitative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries but had a negative effect on the explorative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries. The level of support from the parent firm is found to have a positive effect on the exploitative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries. However, a U-shaped relationship exists between parent support and the explorative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries. The level of social integration is found to have a positive effect on the exploitative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries, but an inverse U-shaped relationship exists between the explorative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries. Originality/value - Based on organizational learning theory, this study has useful implications. It shows that the control, support, and social integration level of parent firms have different effects on the exploitative and explorative capabilities of foreign subsidiaries.

Linking sustainable leadership with sustainable project performance: mediating role of knowledge integration and moderating role of top management knowledge values

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable project performance. Specifically, the study aims to examine the mediating role of knowledge integration, examining how knowledge integration within an organization influences project outcomes. In addition, the study seeks to explore the moderating role of top management knowledge values, examining how the values and beliefs of top management influence the relationship between sustainable leadership and project performance. Design/methodology/approach A three-wave survey of 392 employees working in construction sector projects in Pakistan used both hierarchical regression analysis and Hayes’ PROCESS macro method to evaluate the hypotheses. Findings The study results show that sustainable leadership positively relates to sustainable project performance and knowledge integration mediating this relationship. In addition, the top management knowledge value moderates the indirect effect of sustainable leadership on sustainable project performance via knowledge integration. Research limitations/implications Although the model was tested using three-wave data, it is important to note that the data were obtained from a single source. Therefore, it is possible that common method bias may have influenced the results, and this cannot be disregarded. Practical implications Organizations seek to prioritize sustainability and integrate sustainability considerations into their project management processes. Organizations can achieve improved sustainable project performance by investing in sustainable leadership development, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and learning, prioritizing top management support for sustainable performance and integrating sustainable considerations into project management processes. Originality/value The study’s grounding on organizational learning theory adds an original and valuable perspective to the relationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable project performance. This investigation is original, as it combines sustainable leadership, knowledge integration and the moderating role of top management knowledge value to understand their impact on sustainable project performance. This unique approach contributes to the literature by providing new insights into these relationships and mechanisms in the construction industry.

How does green culture impact corporate environmental responsibility? A dual perspective from ability-motivation-opportunity and organizational learning theory

How does green culture impact corporate environmental responsibility? A dual perspective from ability-motivation-opportunity and organizational learning theory

When do firms learn? Learning before versus after exporting

AbstractOrganizational learning begins with experience. However, it remains an open question whether firms learn from a particular type of experience: exporting. This study aims to speak into this debate by examining when learning by exporting occurs. Our core thesis is that the timing of learning by exporting depends on a firm’s home market economic development. Drawing on classic theories of organizational learning, we posit that firms in more developed home markets will enjoy greater opportunities for learning before exporting whereas firms in less developed home markets will enjoy greater opportunities for learning after exporting. The former will be observed as a divergence in productivity among firms from different home markets, whereas the latter will be observed as convergence over time. The proposed hypotheses were tested and supported using longitudinal data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey. A range of theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.

Competitive Familiarity: Learning to Coordinate by Competing

This paper develops and tests a theory of organizational learning, proposing that prior competitive interaction improves coordination among teammates. We test the theory using millions of experiments in the formation of eSports teams. The results show that exogenously assigned teams of former competitors are highly effective—The marginal returns to prior competitive interaction are even larger than the returns to prior collaborative interaction. The evidence suggests that teammates learn to coordinate by competing, a finding with implications for organizational design and the management of human capital. Funding: The authors are grateful to UCL School of Management and Worcester Polytechnic Institute for financial and technical support.

Centralized or Decentralized? Communication Network and Collective Effectiveness of PBOs—A Task Urgency Perspective

In the construction industry, there are a large number of project-based organizations (PBOs), where the efficiency of communication and collaboration among organizational members greatly impacts the success of projects. For PBOs employing both centralized and decentralized communication networks, it is worth delving into the question of under what circumstances which type of network will yield better results. Based on the IMO model and organizational learning theory, this paper conducts a grouped communication experiment involving 598 engineering management personnel to explore the differences in collective effectiveness of varying communication networks from the perspective of task urgency. Beyond task performance assessments, we have included organizational member perception to form evaluation criteria for collective effectiveness. Our research results show that under conditions of weak task urgency, decentralized networks yield higher collective effectiveness. Conversely, under conditions of strong task urgency, centralized networks demonstrate superior collective effectiveness. Furthermore, this study also verifies the mediating role of knowledge sharing behavior when task urgency is strong. This research provides significant managerial insights for the establishment of appropriate communication networks for PBOs in the construction industry.

Organizational learning starting points and presuppositions: a case study from a hospital’s surgical department

PurposeThis study aims to increase the understanding of the starting points and presuppositions of organizational learning (OL) processes in a hospital’s surgical department based on the existing theory of OL and to make visible the practical possibilities of the theory in this context.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted as a case study. The data were collected from personnel of the hospital’s surgical department and consisted of 26 thematic interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative theory-driven content analysis.FindingsThis study found different starting points for both employee-oriented and organization-oriented learning processes that could potentially progress to different levels of the organization: from individuals to a wider group or from a large group to an individual. The starting point of employee-oriented learning processes was depicted as everyday life problems or situations or was based on the person’s interest. The starting points of organization-oriented learning processes were described as achieving or maintaining the organization’s expected skill levels, pursuing continuous development or pursuing the organization’s specific development needs. Different kinds of presuppositions were also located within the OL processes.Originality/valueThis study produced new practice-based knowledge about the starting points of OL processes and their presuppositions. In health-care organizations, learning is especially important due to intensive and complex changes, and this study provides empirical evidence on how to enhance learning.

The influence of marketing exploitation and exploration on business-to-business small and medium-sized enterprises' pioneering orientation

Organisational learning theory proposes firms can gain market knowledge through adaptive processes - marketing exploitation and exploration. Our study examines how these processes impact pioneering orientation, firms' emphasis on launching innovative products ahead of competitors, in business-to-business (B2B) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The prevailing view is firms should simultaneously pursue both processes or focus on just one. We challenge this notion and posit B2B SMEs should generally prioritise one process over the other to effectively shape pioneering orientation. However, certain circumstances like upstream supply chain (SC) integration and strong information technology (IT) competence enable firms to optimise benefits by alternating between processes. Our longitudinal analysis of 213 Chinese B2B SMEs supports this argument, revealing marketing exploration has a stronger positive influence on pioneering orientation than exploitation. Furthermore, our analysis shows upstream SC integration alone does not moderate, but combined with robust IT competence, can increase the advantages of marketing exploitation over exploration when fostering pioneering orientation in B2B SMEs.