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1 – 10 of over 11000Kanhaiya K. Sinha, Chad Saunders, Simon Raby and Jim Dewald
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of previous venture experience on the relationship between learning breadth and innovation breadth, defined as the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of previous venture experience on the relationship between learning breadth and innovation breadth, defined as the range of innovation types within a firm, and the impacts on SME performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was developed, and hypotheses were tested using step-wise multivariate regressions on survey data from 509 North American SME respondents.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the previous venture experience of a firm's top management plays a key role in enhancing the innovation breadth for a given level of learning breadth. There is a curvilinear relationship between innovation breadth and learning breadth, and increases in innovation breadth lead to increases in firm performance.
Practical implications
The results indicate that organizations seeking higher performance returns by expanding their breadth of innovations need parallel attention on higher learning breadth in order to adequately capture the value from this broader set of innovations.
Originality/value
The paper contextualizes learning and innovation in the SMEs and argues that the consideration of diversity (breadth) of learning and innovation can help us understand their performance implications across industries. It also extends the effect of previous venture experience (PVE) of the leadership team in explaining performance. Beyond their ability to address external factors, PVE has a moderating effect on the relationship between learning and innovation breadth across the organization. Previous venture experience serves as both a guide and catalyst for investments in learning activities that lead to a broader range of innovation activities across the firm.
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Investigates organizational knowledge strategies in Spanish industry; using survey questionnaire covering: organizational knowledge management, organizational learning and…
Abstract
Investigates organizational knowledge strategies in Spanish industry; using survey questionnaire covering: organizational knowledge management, organizational learning and performance. Applies Bierly and Chakrabarty’s typology of generic knowledge strategies to perform cluster analysis and classify firms. Implications for strategy emerge: each firm owns a specific bundle of resources forming organizational capabilities; uniqueness nature is outcome of different organizational decisions. Knowledge strategies determine stocks and flows of organizational knowledge and competitive advantage of firms. Decisions involving trade‐offs between knowledge exploitation or exploration, internal or external knowledge, breadth of knowledge base, etc. should be made to configure the best strategy. Results show organizational performance varies across clusters. Knowledge strategy should be integrated among strategic decisions to get good organizational fit.
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Dane Lukic, Anoush Margaryan and Allison Littlejohn
This paper seeks to review current approaches to learning from health and safety incidents in the workplace. The aim of the paper is to identify the diversity of approaches and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to review current approaches to learning from health and safety incidents in the workplace. The aim of the paper is to identify the diversity of approaches and analyse them in terms of learning aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted searching for terms incident/accident/near misses/disaster/crisis modified with learning/training and safety. Shortlisted articles were analysed by questioning who is learning, what kind of learning process is undertaken, what type of knowledge is employed and the type of problem that these incidents addressed. Current approaches to learning from incidents were critically analysed and gaps identified.
Findings
Very few papers addressed all the envisaged aspects when developing their learning from incidents approaches. With support from literature, it was concluded that all the four perspectives, namely participants of learning (participation and inclusion), learning process (single loop, double learning), type of incident and its relation to learning (Cynefin complexity framework) and types of knowledge (conceptual, procedural, dispositional and locative) are important when deciding on an appropriate learning from incidents approach.
Research limitations/implications
The literature review focused on journal articles and identified keywords, which might have narrowed the scope. Further research is needed in identifying ways to embed the learning from incidents aspects in the organisation.
Practical implications
The framework developed could be useful by safety planners, safety managers, human resource managers and researchers in the area of organisational learning and safety.
Originality/value
The paper concludes by outlining key questions and proposing a framework that could be useful in systematically analysing and indentifying effective approaches to learning from incidents.
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A learning organization has been defined as one in which themembers continually acquire, share, and use new knowledge to adapt to anever‐changing environment. By incorporating…
Abstract
A learning organization has been defined as one in which the members continually acquire, share, and use new knowledge to adapt to an ever‐changing environment. By incorporating Peter Senge′s principles from The Fifth Discipline within the McKinsey 7‐S framework, presents a systems model of a learning organization. The addition of one “S” yields a model and this systems model is an assemblage of “best practices” in organizational effectiveness. The implementation of these best practices can help transform a traditional organization into a learning organization.
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The aim of this paper is double. First, it provides a conceptual framework linking human resource management, organisational learning and knowledge management. Second, the paper…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is double. First, it provides a conceptual framework linking human resource management, organisational learning and knowledge management. Second, the paper builds a causal model and tests it with a sample of firms from the Spanish manufacturing industry, using a structural equation modelling technique. In particular, after the performance of a cluster analysis, a group of 72 learning firms is identified and used to test our model. Finally, major conclusions and implications for management are drawn and further avenues for research are suggested.
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Tony Bush, Mofoluwake Fadare, Tamuka Chirimambowa, Emmanuel Enukorah, Daniel Musa, Hala Nur, Tatenda Nyawo and Maureen Shipota
The purpose of the paper is to report the findings of a synthesis of literature reviews and stakeholder interviews conducted in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to report the findings of a synthesis of literature reviews and stakeholder interviews conducted in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The synthesis provides an overview of instructional leadership policy and practice in these six countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports the findings of a systematic literature review, and participant interviews, in six sub-Sahara African countries. The research links to the British Council's initiative to develop instructional leadership in developing contexts, including the six countries featured in this submission.
Findings
The findings show diverse policy and practice of instructional leadership in these African contexts. Three have no explicit policies on this important leadership construct, while the others have relevant policy statements but limited evidence of instructional leadership practice.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides an overview of instructional leadership policy and practice in these six countries, but more school-based research is required to develop grounded evidence on whether and how this is practiced. The pandemic inhibited such school-based research in 2020. The study provides emerging evidence of the impact of instructional leadership on school and student outcomes, confirming what is known from international research.
Practical implications
Developing awareness of how instructional leadership can improve student learning, linked to appropriate training, could lead to more effective schools.
Social implications
The Sustainable Development Goals stress the importance of high quality education for economic and social development. Leadership is an important aspect of quality, and the research reported in this paper shows the potential for instructional leadership to enhance student learning.
Originality/value
This is the first cross-national study of instructional leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Joan Freixanet and Ryan Federo
This study examines how the complex interplay of innovation, internationalization and learning capability is associated with firm performance.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how the complex interplay of innovation, internationalization and learning capability is associated with firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) over a sample of 2,844 manufacturing firms over the period of 2008–2014.
Findings
This study finds a general complementarity between high process innovation, export breadth and high organizational learning capability, and a substitution between R&D and employee training as sources of learning capability. The analyses by firm size suggest that, contrary to SMEs, large firms do not require high export breadth to achieve profitability, which is likely because they enjoy sufficient economies of scale and scope through their strong domestic presence and multiple business units.
Research limitations/implications
This study examines specific facets of the three constructs, and the effect of firm size. Future research could consider other facets and contextual factors, such as managers' competencies, family firm governance or network memberships, which have potential effects on the relationships studied here.
Practical implications
Firms may benefit from the various interplay effects of strategic factors to improve competitiveness. For example, leveraging the knowledge and resources stemming from their presence in multiple countries may significantly increase the efficiency and efficacy of innovation activities, eventually enhancing firm performance.
Originality/value
This study is the first to employ a large sample to test the complementarity of the three activities in achieving superior profitability. The paper also provides a more nuanced view of these relationships by considering the interplay of different facets of internationalization (export breadth and intensity), innovation (product and process) and learning capability (R&D and employee training).
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Chenyan Gu, Zhe Zhang and Yuansi Hou
To investigate the psychological mechanism of observational learning in the online retailing context, the purpose of this paper is to show how the psychological distance between…
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the psychological mechanism of observational learning in the online retailing context, the purpose of this paper is to show how the psychological distance between consumers and products affects modes of observational learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Five experimental studies are conducted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings show that which modes of observational learning are adopted by consumers is affected by consumers’ psychological distance. Specifically, when the psychological distance between consumers and products is proximal, consumers tend to adopt the termed adequate observational learning mode by considering the interaction of information about popularity and the breadth of appeal of a product to make purchase. However, when the psychological distance is distal, consumers would consider information of popularity and breadth of appeal separately without considering the interaction, termed as inadequate observational learning mode. The observed relationship between psychological distance and observational learning mode could be explained by the construal level.
Research limitations/implications
This research advances the observational learning and psychological distance literature by investigating the psychological mechanism behind observational learning modes. Limitations include the use of scenario-based experiments to test the hypotheses, investigation of a single product attribute (i.e. breadth of appeal) and assessment of popularity information by sales volume alone.
Practical implications
The current research provides a deeper understanding of consumer observational learning modes, which can help online retailers to develop effective product strategies and marketing tactics and, finally, achieve stronger competitive positions.
Originality/value
The present research contributes to the literature by examining the psychological mechanism involved in observational learning. This research distinguishes adequate and inadequate observational learning modes from the perspective of psychological distance.
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Marco Opazo-Basáez, Ferran Vendrell-Herrero, Oscar F. Bustinza and Josip Marić
Global value chains (GVC) incorporate internationally fragmented sources of knowledge so as to increase global competitiveness and performance. This paper sheds light on the role…
Abstract
Purpose
Global value chains (GVC) incorporate internationally fragmented sources of knowledge so as to increase global competitiveness and performance. This paper sheds light on the role of Industry 4.0 technological capabilities in facilitating knowledge access from international linkages and improving firm productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on organizational learning research, the present study argues that the relationship between GVC breadth, analyzed in respect to the geographical fragmentation of production facilities and productivity follows an inverted U-shaped pattern that can be explained by the interplay between external knowledge access and the coordination costs associated with GVC breadth. We test our predictions using a purpose-built survey that was carried out among a sample of 426 Spanish manufacturing firms.
Findings
Our results indicate that organizations adhering to a traditional manufacturing system are able to benefit from fewer transnational relationships (concretely 11 foreign facilities) in the search for productivity improvements. This can be largely attributed to the marginal value of the knowledge accessed and the costs of coordinating international counterparts' production and knowledge transfer. However, our study reveals that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies has the potential to broaden optimal GVC breadth, in terms of the number of linkages to interrelate with (concretely 131 foreign facilities) so as to obtain productivity gains while mitigating the complexities associated with coordination.
Originality/value
The study unveils that Industry 4.0 technologies enable management of broader GVC breadth, facilitating knowledge access and counteracting coordination costs from international counterparts.
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Yijin Chen, Yue Qiu, Hanming Lin and Yiming Zhao
This study aims to explore the influence of topic familiarity on the four stages of college students' learning search process.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the influence of topic familiarity on the four stages of college students' learning search process.
Design/methodology/approach
This study clarified the effects of topic familiarity on students' learning search process by conducting a simulation experiment based on query formulation, information item selection, information sources and learning output.
Findings
The results characterized users' interaction behaviors in increasing topic familiarity through their use of more task descriptions as queries, increased reformulation of queries, construction of more purposeful query formulation, reduced attention to a topic's basic concept content and increased exploration of academic platform contents.
Originality/value
This study proposed three innovative indicators which were proposed to evaluate the effects of topic familiarity on college students' learning search process, and the adopted metrics were useful for observing differences in college students' learning output as their topic familiarity increased. It contributes to the understanding of a user's search process and learning output to support the optimization function of learning-related information search systems and improve their effect on the user's search process for learning.
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