The Effects of Multilevel Orientations on Frontline Deliberate Learning

Abstract

The study proposes a frontline deliberate learning (FDL) process involving knowledge generation, knowledge articulation, and knowledge codification, which enable organizations to capture knowledge embedded in the frontlines. It examines the antecedent effects of three orientations (i.e., performance, learning, and customer orientation) at both the individual dispositional level and strategic business unit (SBU) level on frontline deliberate learning. The proposed model was tested using survey data from multiple respondents from the healthcare industry. The results indicate that knowledge articulation plays a mediating role in the influence of knowledge generation on knowledge codification. Individual performance, learning, and customer orientation primarily affect knowledge generation. However, these three orientations at the unit level have different effects on knowledge articulation and the unit level’s codification.