Knowing Means Existing: Organizational Learning Dimensions and Knowledge Management Capability

Background: Many studies have considered knowledge as the most important strategic resource for ensuring firm’s competitiveness. Accordingly, learning is an important concept for firms whether it is individual or organizational learning.

Objectives: To provide empirical support to the impact of individual organizational learning dimensions on a firm’s knowledge management.

Methods/Approach: The questionnaire survey approach is used for data collection and structural equation modeling for hypotheses testing. Besides, PROCESS procedure is employed to estimate confidence intervals of indirect effects in the model.

Results: Organizational learning dimensions are antecedents of knowledge management capability. Shared values and openness influence directly and positively knowledge management capability. However, the same was not found to be the case for managerial commitment and dialogue. On the other hand, the results suggest that managerial commitment and dialog influence knowledge management capability indirectly over shared vision.

Conclusions: While there has been an underlying assumption about the role of organizational learning for knowledge management, this study provides evidence on how organizational learning dimensions such as management commitment, shared vision, openness and experimentation, and dialog may be adjusted to facilitate and enhance knowledge management processes.