Learning in organization

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims at identifying the presence of the dimensions of learning capabilities and the characteristics of a learning organization within two companies in the field of services, as well as identifying the relationships between their learning capability and the organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach – This has been a transversal study on a convenience sample of 64 employees from two companies. The questionnaires’ purpose was to identify and assess organizational learning capability, dimensions of the learning organization and the role of organizational culture. Findings – The results showed a better represented capability of organizational learning and a more evident presence of the dimensions that characterize a learning organization within a private company. Also, the type of organization is a moderator for the relationship between the hierarchical culture and adhocracy on one hand and the dimension of experimenting organizational learning on the other hand, but also between the market culture and dialogue dimension. Research limitations/implications – The reduced dimension and the structure of the sample or using certain self-report-type questionnaires represent some of the limits of this study. Practical implications – The results highlight the way the type of organization and the organizational cultures influence the factors that facilitate learning. Knowing this allows the specific intervention upon those factors that can contribute to the increase of the organizational learning capabilities. Originality/value – The study depicts the factors that make a difference on the learning and action level of the organizational culture in two different organizational realities: a public one with local top management and a private one with foreign top management.