Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management: A Prospective Analysis Based on the Levels of Consciousness

In this chapter, we analyse the concepts of organizational learning and knowledge management by relating them to the levels of human and organizational consciousness. In doing so, we understand the existence of different conceptualizations of both organizational learning and knowledge management, and relate them to several organizational models and levels of organizational learning. The learning organization model is related to the highest level of consciousness and to the highest level of learning: triple-loop learning. We associate this with an organizational learning perspective that stresses the importance of mindfulness, mindful learning, and with a knowledge management perspective tha…

Depth and breadth of external knowledge search and performance: The mediating role of absorptive capacity

Nowadays it is commonly accepted that exploiting external knowledge sources is important for firms' innovation and performance. However, it is still not clear how this effect takes place and what internal capabilities are involved in the process. We propose to open the black box between external knowledge search strategies, and innovation and performance by proposing absorptive capacity (AC) as the mediating variable. A sample of 102 biotechnology firms from Spain is used to test the proposed theoretical model through structural equation modeling taking the partial least squares approach. Results suggest that AC acts as a full mediator in the relationship between the depth of external knowl…

Facilitating radical innovation through secret technology-oriented skunkworks projects: Implications for human resource practices

Technology-oriented skunkworks projects aim at facilitating radical innovation through approaches different from ‘normal’ research and development processes and have their specific organisational challenges. Joint human resource management (HRM) and innovation management research on HRM requirements for technology-oriented skunkworks is so far scarce, revealing a timely research gap and propelling our research question: what are the human resources (HR) practices that best support secret technology-oriented skunkworks projects (compared to HR practices in innovation contexts)? An exploratory case study of a skunkworks project at PSA Peugeot-Citroën (currently Groupe PSA) reveals seven skunk…

Entrepreneurial orientation and new product development performance in SMEs: The mediating role of business model innovation

Abstract In the current business context, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has been highlighted as key to improving firm performance. Despite the overall positive evidence on the association between EO and firm performance, scholars have stressed the importance of taking into account and properly managing intermediate capabilities. The present study analyses the link between EO and New Product Development (NPD) performance, considering Business Model Innovation (BMI) as a mediating variable. A sample of 400 Spanish SMEs is used to test the proposed research model through structural equation modelling and partial least squares analyses. Results reveal that EO contributes to BMI and NPD perfo…

Investment in Design and Firm Performance: The Mediating Role of Design Management

Design management is an increasingly important concept, research into which is remarkably scarce. Although the literature suggests that design management has an effect on design effectiveness, there is no empirical support for the impact of design management on firm performance. Furthermore, few studies have quantified the contribution that design makes to company performance. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of design investment on company performance and how this relationship is mediated by design management skills. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses on a data set from the Italian and Spanish ceramic tile industry. Results suggest, first, t…

Towards a methodology to assess organizational learning capability

PurposeThe present study aims to revalidate a measurement scale for organizational learning capability in the context of university faculty members. This is a particularly relevant context because it deals with knowledge‐intensive services. Following Chiva et al., organizational learning capability was conceptualized as a second factor construct including five dimensions: experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment, dialogue and participative decision making.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, a leading university in Costa Rica. The survey was addressed to faculty members. A total of 795 valid questionnaire…

Firm innovativeness and work-life balance

ABSTRACTAssessing firms’ innovativeness is not an easy task. The literature recognises a number of innovativeness indicators. Most of them are technology-based indicators which perform well in high-tech industries but might be ineffective in other industries where patenting is not usual or in which R&D budgets are low or not formalised. In this paper, we critically review previous innovativeness indicators and we propose a new approach to assess firm innovativeness that is based not on the role of technology but on that of people. This new approach focuses on the existence of work-life balance benefits that are connected with motivation, engagement and creativity in the workplace. We argue …

Well-being-oriented management (WOM), organizational learning and ambidexterity in public healthcare: a two wave-study

Drawing upon positive psychology and organizational learning literature, this study examines the relationship between well-being-oriented management (WOM) and unit-level ambidexterity. Building on the social exchange theory, our multilevel model sheds light on the relationship between individual perceptions of WOM, organizational learning, and unit-level ambidexterity in public hospitals. Based on the two-wave data obtained from 507 medical specialists, from 151 medical units, our multilevel analysis provides support for our two hypotheses. First, a positive relationship between WOM and unit-level ambidexterity was found. Second, organizational learning capability (OLC) moderated the relati…

Triggering Open Innovation Processes Through Organizational Emotional Capability and Rival's Absorptive Capacity Orientation

In this article, we analyze the direct effects of the open innovation (OI) processes of acquisition and exploitation on innovation performance (IP), as well as the effects of two antecedents of OI: organizational emotional capability (EC) and rivaĺs absorptive capacity orientation (RACO). RACO implies processing external information in an analytical manner, whereas an intuitive approach is implicit in EC. The research model is tested in a sample of medium-low-technology Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using structural equations by the consistent partial least squares method. Our results provide evidence on a significant effect of the OI acquisition process on IP, as well…

Knowledge management and innovation performance in a high-tech SMEs industry

This article examines how knowledge management (KM) affects innovation performance within biotechnology firms. This is an industry in which small- and medium-sized biotech enterprises live together with the biotech divisions of large pharmaceutical firms. We conceptualize KM as a set of practices and dynamic capabilities, and hypothesize that KM dynamic capabilities act as a mediating variable between KM practices and innovation performance. We use structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses on a data set from the biotechnology industry. The results support our conceptualization and demonstrate its utility in explaining differences in innovation performance across firms. Findings …

Organizational Learning Capability and Job Satisfaction: an Empirical Assessment in the Ceramic Tile Industry

Organizational learning capability has been considered an essential issue of an organization's effectiveness and potential to innovate and grow. Although its positive effects on organizations and employees are generally assumed, there is no empirical evidence of its positive association with employee attitudes such as job satisfaction. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between organizational learning capability and job satisfaction through the questionnaire responses of 157 employees from eight companies in the Spanish ceramic tile industry. Results suggest that organizational learning capability and job satisfaction are strongly linked.

Are altruistic leaders worthy? The role of organizational learning capability

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between altruistic leader behaviors, organizational learning capability and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach– The sampling frame consists of several databases or listings of business that consider people as a key element of the organization and are considered by their employees to be good firms to work for or organizational environments where human resources management has high priority (n=251). The authors use structural equation modeling to test if the relationship between altruistic leader behaviors and organizational performance is mediated by organizational learning capability.Findings– Results …

The importance of management innovation and consultant services on ERP implementation success

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation has been an important activity for improving efficiency. However, an ERP system is a critical investment that can significantly affect future performance of a company. Many ERP projects report an unusually high failure rate. This study empirically investigates the involvement of management consultants in ERP implementation success. The results from our field survey of 134 ERP end-users in Spanish ceramic tile companies show that ERP implementation success significantly depends on the quality of consultant services. The results also indicate the importance of internal management throughout the learning process. Overall, these findings contrib…

Happiness at work: Developing a shorter measure

AbstractThe notion of happiness at work is becoming increasingly important for human resource management research. Despite the widespread existence of different constructs that capture positive attitudes, a comprehensive measure of individual-level happiness is necessary. Starting from Fisher’s conceptualisation of happiness at work, Salas-Vallina, Alegre, and Fernández developed a 31-item scale to measure happiness at work. This scale accurately captures the different dimensions of happiness in the workplace context. However, it is a long scale. Shorter scales provide major improvements in efficiency and efficacy. Our study, conducted with two diversified samples, conceptualises and measur…

Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance: The Role of Organizational Learning Capability and Innovation Performance

This research contributes to the entrepreneurial orientation (EO)–performance literature by offering a wider picture that includes two intermediate steps: organizational learning capability (OLC) and innovation performance. This study also provides an explanation of intra-industry firm performance differences by focusing on EO. We use structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses on a data set from Italian and Spanish ceramic tile producers. The results support our conceptual model and demonstrate its usefulness in explaining differences in intra-industry firm performance. Findings suggest that OLC and innovation performance should be enhanced by managers in order to boost the positiv…

Managing skunkworks to achieve ambidexterity: The Robinson Crusoe effect

Abstract Literature on ambidexterity emphasizes the need for both exploration and exploitation. Large firms usually choose to implement structural ambidexterity to separate both activities. We here focus on an extreme case of such structural partitioning implemented as a secret skunkworks project in a large French automotive company. A qualitative survey using both primary and secondary data shows that the major basic and initial characteristics of a skunkworks (i.e. secrecy, urgency, and autonomy) created favorable conditions for the technological exploration. However, exploitation failed due to precisely those same characteristics coupled with the fact that the project did not respond to …

A measurement scale for product innovation performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study aimed at conceptualising and developing valid measurements for two key dimensions of product innovation performance‐efficacy and efficiency – in the context of firm competition.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from French biotechnology firms. Using structural equations modeling, the constructs’ measurement models were tested and the scale was validated.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that the operational measures developed here satisfy the criteria for unidimensionality, reliability, and validity.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to innovation management research by providing a…

Organisational learning capability, product innovation performance and export intensity

The hypothesis that managerial characteristics which facilitate the organisational learning process can provide firms with a basis for competitive advantage has received a great deal of attention. While there is evidence that organisational learning affects export intensity, we argue that intermediate variables, such as innovation, should be used in order to evaluate its impact in organisations. This study shows that firms with a higher organisational learning capability tend to be more innovative, and for this reason, they are more likely to export a higher share of their production. From a longitudinal perspective, we use structural equation modeling on a database from Italian and Spanish…

Linking design management skills and design function organization: An empirical study of Spanish and Italian ceramic tile producers

Abstract Design management is an increasingly important concept, research into which is very scarce. This paper deals with the fit between design management skills and design function organization, ranging from solely in-house to solely outsourced and including a mixture of the two. We carried out a survey in the Spanish and Italian ceramic tile industry, to which 177 product development managers responded. Our results revealed that companies have different degrees of design management skills depending on the approach to design function organization. Solely in-house design approach companies are the most skilled firms and solely outsourced ones are the least skilled. Despite the fact that t…

Organizational learning capability and organizational citizenship behaviour in the health sector: examining the role of happiness at work from a gender perspective

Both researchers and managers are interested in finding the factors that raise organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), particularly in the health sector. In this complex context, characterized by a high workload, it becomes essential that physicians voluntarily contribute beyond their official job description. Our research aims to evidence the working conditions that promote OCB, considering the role of organizational learning capability through happiness at work. Our research was based on a sample of 167 allergists at Spanish public hospitals, and by means of structural equation models, interesting results were found. We offer to hospital managers both a tool and an explanation for the…

Unravelling the moderating effects of size and experience on product innovations and exports: a study in a medium knowledge-intensive industry

This paper contributes to improve our knowledge on the important role of product innovation in export strategy by introducing the moderating effects of organizational variables. We argue that in a medium knowledge-intensive industry, these variables might strengthen the relationship between innovations and exports. Research on innovation and export strategy has addressed these issues increasingly during last decades; however, the divergence on the empirical approaches difficult the understanding of the linkages among variables, which are highly dependent on the industry technological characteristics. We carry out a time-lagged study using the literature-based innovation output (LBIO) method…

Los emprendedores surgidos de las empresas multinacionales de inversión extranjera directa: un estudio exploratorio en Costa Rica

El presente trabajo busca evaluar la creación de empresas por parte de ex empleados de empresas multinacionales de inversión extranjera directa. En concreto, se busca dimensionar el fenómeno, caracterizarlo, así como valorar el desempeño de las empresas creadas. El estudio se hizo mediante un muestreo aleatorio simple con margen de error del 7% y nivel de confianza del 95%, sobre una base de datos de 11.120 ex empleados de empresas multinacionales en Costa Rica (n = 175). Además se utilizó un grupo control ad hoc. Los resultados muestran cómo son estos emprendedores, el proceso creador experimentado, las características y el desempeño de las nuevas empresas. The aim of this investigation wa…

Adaptive and Generative Learning: Implications from Complexity Theories

One of the most important classical typologies within the organizational learning literature is the distinction between adaptive and generative learning. However, the processes of these types of learning, particularly the latter, have not been widely analyzed and incorporated into the organizational learning process. This paper puts forward a new understanding of adaptive and generative learning within organizations, grounded in some ideas from complexity theories: mainly self-organization and implicate order. Adaptive learning involves any improvement or development of the explicate order through a process of self-organization. Self-organization is a self-referential process characterized …

Entrepreneurial orientation and export intensity: Examining the interplay of organizational learning and innovation

Nowadays how to be a successful exporter has reach great importance. Some studies on the entrepreneurial orientation literature highlights the attitude of the manager to make risky strategies such as strategies toward exports. But might the CEO's attitude toward entrepreneurship be sufficient to achieve greater SMEs export performance? Through an analysis of a database of Spanish and Italian SMEs, we find that entrepreneurial orientation is a managerial attitude that enhances exports when managers also make efforts in organizational learning and innovation. Being entrepreneurially oriented is important, but it might not be sufficient for increasing export performance if the company is not a…

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Learning in New Firms’ Performance: A Study in Costa Rica

The creation of new firms is important for the economy, and entrepreneurial learning is essential for the performance of new firms. We contribute to existing knowledge by combining these two topics and considering a third one: The role of multinational companies (MNCs) as a source of learning for the entrepreneur. This approach has rarely been taken in the literature. We investigated the performance of a group of young companies created by former employees of MNCs and their relationship with entrepreneurial learning in such companies. The study was based on a sample of 175 former employees of MNCs in Costa Rica, who founded their own firm between 2001 and 2007. The control group was formed …

Shaping the firm's external search strategy

This paper explores the determinants of external knowledge search strategies, specifically, exploitative and exploratory search. The literature emphasizes environmental context and technological resources, especially R&D, as important determinants of the search strategy. In this paper we focus on two types of the firm's formal structure: formalized and decentralized structures. The study uses survey data from the ceramic tile industry in Spain. The results show that a competitive environment and a decentralized organizational structure play a role in shaping the firm's external search strategy, but that R&D has no effect. We find that competition inhibits exploratory search, while a decentr…

Happiness at work in knowledge-intensive contexts: Opening the research agenda

In today's business environment, management of knowledge-intensive workers has become one of the most challenging elements to consider. To sustain a company's competitive advantage, highly skilled workers who are perfectly aligned and motivated in the organization are essential. However, happiness becomes essential for these type of employees. Happiness at work is a research topic that is growing in importance among academics, but requires further attention. Through a narrative synthesis method, we review, clarify and suggest future research lines to develop research on happiness at work in knowledge-intensive contexts. JEL classification: J28, I310, M120, Keywords: Happiness at work, Knowl…

A Study into the Integration of ICT into a Business Management Course: Challenges and Achievements

Nowadays, the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) play an increasingly important role in education. Indeed, ICT are considered as very useful pedagogic tools, and multimedia resources are constantly being created, updated and shared by university members worldwide. This paper deals with a case of study exploring the way in which the integration of ICT impacts learning in the context of a business management course at the Universitat de València (UV), in Spain. The results of the study point out the need for academic staff and students to acquire the appropriate knowledge and to develop the skills required for an efficient and effective use of ICT in higher education. Keywords:…

Speeding up new product development through entrepreneurial orientation in SMEs: The moderating role of ambidexterity

International audience; This paper analyzes the influence of small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on its capacity to quickly introduce new products to the market (namely, speed to market). Specifically, we suggest that firms will exhibit greater speed to market when displaying either low or high levels of EO. We also suggest that the EO – speed to market relationship will be contingent on firms' ambidexterity, or its capacity to simultaneously embrace exploratory and exploitative strategies. To test our hypotheses, we collected survey data from 384 SMEs belonging to four sectors in Spain: biotechnology, ceramic tiles, toys and footwear. Our findings co…

Entrepreneurial Intentions: Moving the Field Forwards

The purpose of this article is to articulate reasoning as to why there is a pressing need for a contextually based temporal approach towards the study of entrepreneurial intentions. Having done so, a potential means by which this can be achieved is put forth through assuming a socially situated perspective that links intentions, the entrepreneurial process of new venture creation, and a model of action abstractness. A conceptual model is proposed taking into consideration the entrepreneurial intention domain ‘as is’, ‘as should be’ and ‘as could be’. Value of current practice is assessed and challenged in a bid to stimulate new thinking in the area. The dynamic model provided contributes t…

Managing risk-taking to enhance innovation in organizations

Trabajo presentado al Organizational Innovation Workshop: "Organizational Innovation and its antecedents, performance consequences and technological complementarities: Towards a research agenda" celebrado en Valencia (España) el 21 de Febrero de 2013.

The influence of innovation stimulus, facilitating factors and support mechanisms on innovation performance in Brazilian small textile firms

The ability of the organisation to develop new products is crucial in rapidly changing business environments, and thus, customer demographics, consumers' expectations and buying behaviour play an important role. Hence, exploring the antecedents of innovation performance becomes more important. This study analyses the relationships among innovation stimulus, facilitating factors and support mechanisms for innovative performance in the textile industry of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The sample included 128 respondents, who were all employees of five small and medium-sized textile firms; data were analysed using structural equation modelling. We found that innovation stimulus, facilitating factors…

Los emprendedores surgidos de las empresas multinacionales de inversión extranjera directa: un estudio exploratorio en Costa Rica

ResumenEl presente trabajo busca evaluar la creación de empresas por parte de exempleados de empresas multinacionales de inversión extranjera directa. En concreto, se busca dimensionar el fenómeno, caracterizarlo, así como valorar el desempeño de las empresas creadas. El estudio se hizo mediante un muestreo aleatorio simple con margen de error del 7% y nivel de confianza del 95%, sobre una base de datos de 11.120 exempleados de empresas multinacionales en Costa Rica (n=175). Además se utilizó un grupo control ad hoc. Los resultados muestran cómo son estos emprendedores, el proceso creador experimentado, las características y el desempeño de las nuevas empresas.AbstractThe aim of this invest…

The challenge of increasing employees' well‐being and performance: How human resource management practices and engaging leadership work together toward reaching this goal

Indústria têxtil de Santa Catarina e sua capacidade inovadora: Estudo sob a perspectiva da eficiência, eficácia, custos e melhoria de processos

Santa Catarina se destaca como um dos principais parques produtivos do setor têxtil. Assim como as demais indústrias têxteis brasileiras, a catarinense vem sofrendo pressões de mercado, principalmente dos países asiáticos. O estudo teve como objetivo identificar se as dimensões - eficiência, eficácia, custos e as melhorias de processo – estão associadas ao desempenho da inovação na indústria têxtil de Santa Catarina. A pesquisa foi descritiva, exploratória e causal, de levantamento ou survey e quantitativa. A amostra foi composta por 441 respondentes de 16 organizações do estado de Santa Catarina. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise fatorial exploratória, análise fatorial confirma…