0000000000121859

AUTHOR

Ricardo Chiva

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…

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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…

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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.

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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 …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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 …

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Assessing the impact of organizational learning capability on product innovation performance: An empirical test

This paper examines how organizational learning capability affects product innovation performance. We define organizational learning capability through five dimensions or mechanisms: experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment, dialogue and participative decision making. The impact of these mechanisms on product innovation performance is also analyzed. We use structural equations modeling to test our research hypotheses on a data set from the ceramic tile industry. Results support our conceptual model and underline the importance that learning has for innovation performance. Implications of the findings for both academics and practitioners are examined. © 2007 El…

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Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction: the role of organizational learning capability

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and job satisfaction, by taking into consideration organizational learning capability (OLC).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from eight Spanish ceramic tile manufacturers. The survey was addressed to shop floor workers, and 157 valid questionnaires were obtained, representing a response rate of 61 per cent. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test this theoretical model.FindingsThis paper proposes that OLC plays a significant role in determining the effects of EI on job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to certain features of the sample and the use of meas…

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Measuring organisational learning capability among the workforce

PurposeThe present study sets out to propose and validate a measurement scale that aims to capture the organisational capability to learn, based on a comprehensive analysis of the facilitating factors for learning. The organisational learning capability scale consists of 14 items grouped into five dimensions: experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment, dialogue, and participative decision making.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from eight Spanish ceramic tile manufacturers. The survey was addressed to shop floor workers. A total of 157 valid questionnaires were obtained, representing a response rate of 61 per cent. Using confirmatory factor analysi…

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Measuring innovation in long product development cycle industries: an insight in biotechnology

This paper examines and measures innovation in the context of biotechnology firms by analysing the link between R&D, innovation performance and organisational growth. We conceptualise innovation performance as a latent construct with two dimensions: innovation efficacy and innovation efficiency. We use structural equations modelling to test the hypotheses on a data set from the biotechnology industry. Results support our innovation performance conceptualisation which is found to be especially useful to measure innovation in industries with long product development cycles. Findings also underline the importance of R&D knowledge creation for biotechnology firms.

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Organizational Learning, Innovation and Internationalization: A Complex System Model

Research on organizational learning, innovation and internationalization has traditionally linked these concepts through linear causality, by considering any one of them as the cause of another, an approach that might be considered contradictory and static. This paper aims to clarify these relationships and proposes a dynamic theoretical model that has mutual causality at its core and is based on ideas originating in complexity theory. The final model results from case studies of two clothing sector firms. The authors consider that the three concepts constitute a complex system and can adapt and transcend, as any alteration can take the system to the edge of chaos. Adaptability is fostered …

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