Organizational Learning in Smaller Manufacturing Firms

Develops and validates a measure of organizationallearning orientation within small firms, and investigates the relationshipbetween a firm's organizational learning orientation and its performance. Aftera review of relevant literature, data from three separate surveys are used totest the many hypotheses proposed in the study. Conducted in the UnitedKingdom, the surveys involve the participation of 92 manufacturing firmowner-managers, 20 middle managers in a large public sector organization, and91 additional manufacturing firm owner-managers. The data reveal that the proposed organizational learning measure is indeedvalid and reliable. They also indicate that a relationship does indeed existbetween firm performance (both financial and non-financial) and organizationallearning. The study concludes with a discussion of implications for researchand practice. (SAA)