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The purpose of this study is to deepen understanding of the effects of using social media technologies to acquire technological knowledge and organizational learning competences, of technological knowledge competences on organizational learning and finally of organizational learning on organizational performance.

The study was performed by analyzing data from a sample of 197 technology firms located in Spain. The hypotheses were tested using a structural equations model with the program LISREL 8.80.

This study’s conceptual framework is grounded in complexity theory – along with dynamic capabilities theory, which complements the resource-based view. The study contributes to the literature by proposing a model that reflects empirically how business ecosystems that use social media technologies enable the development of interorganizational and social collaboration networks that encourage learning and development of technological knowledge competences.

It would be interesting for future studies to consider other elements to conceptualize and measure social media technologies, including (among others) significance of the various tools used and strategic integration. The model might also analyze other sectors and another combination of variables.

The results of this study have several managerial implications: developing social media technologies and interorganizational social collaboration networks not only enables the organizational learning process but also encourages technological knowledge competences. Through innovation processes, use of social media technologies also contributes to strengthening companies’ strategic positioning, which ultimately helps to improve firms’ organizational performance.

Since social media technologies drive information systems in contemporary society (because they enable interaction with numerous agents), the authors highlight the use of complexity theory to develop a conceptual framework.

The study also deepens understanding of the connections by which new experiential learning contributes to the generation of coevolutionary adaptive business ecosystems and digital strategies that enable development of interorganizational and social collaborative networks through technological knowledge competences. Only after examining the impact of social media technologies on organizational performance in prior literature, did the authors underscore that both quantity and frequency of social media technology use are positively related to improvement in knowledge processes that lead to employees’ creation and acquisition of new metaknowledge.

Although Social Media use has become all-pervasive, previous research has failed to explain how to use Social Media tools strategically to create business value in today's increasingly digital landscapes. Adopting a dynamic capabilities perspective, this paper empirically examines the specific process through which Social Media use translates into better performance and the capabilities involved in this process.

A research model is proposed that includes both antecedents and consequences of Social Media use. Existing research was examined to derive the research hypotheses, which were tested using SEM methodology on a sample of 212 hotels.

The results show that Social Media use does not exert significant direct impact on organizational performance. Rather, the findings confirm the mediating role played by Social CRM and Customer Engagement capabilities in the value creation process.

The results demonstrate how Social Media tools should be implemented and managed to generate business value in hotels. Implications yield interesting insights for hotel managers

This study is a first attempt to analyze empirically the real impact of digital media technologies, particularly Social Media use, drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective and focusing on service firms (hotels). Including the variable “Organizational Readiness” as a basic prerequisite to benefit from Social Media use enhances the study's novelty and contribution.

The purpose of this paper is to show how social media technologies (SMT) make the firm proficient to act on business opportunities and reconfigure business resources by encouraging networks to routinize the firm’s knowledge and innovation competencies.

The paper analyzes data obtained from a sample of 201 technological firms located in Spain. Structural equation modeling with Lisrel is used to test the hypotheses.

This paper contributes to the literature by reflecting empirically in a structural model how SMT drive technological knowledge competencies to improve organizational performance directly and indirectly by leveraging processes of innovation capability in the firm.

The study has some limitations, among them transversal analysis of different constructs. The number of relationships analyzed is limited, as is the literature focuses on a digital vision from a social media point of view.

Some implications for managers emerge. SMT both enable an emergent participatory culture through ubiquitous digital devices and social networks and balance constant connectivity afforded by digital devices.

Drawing on complexity science, the authors develop a conceptual framework to explain how social media, as emergent IS phenomena, help firms to create business value, leveraging network effects and knowledge flows, and increasing innovative capability.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of different technological aspects of organizations on Spanish high‐technology firms' performance.

The relationships studied are confirmed empirically using a structural equation model to demonstrate our hypotheses. The sample was selected from the database “Dun & Bradstreet España” in the year 2005 and includes 201 Spanish firms. CEOs were our main informants.

The results obtained show that support from top managers will directly influence the organizational learning (OL) process and technological distinctive competencies (TDCs) (antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship) and that corporate entrepreneurship finally influences organizational performance.

The paper is exploratory in character, and its goal is to show whether interrelations exist between the variables. The main limitations are: the sectors chosen refer only to Spain; the analysis is cross‐sectional in character; the study uses a single method and self‐reports (CEOs).

To obtain perfect adaptation of the firm to its environment, it is crucial that managers develop corporate entrepreneurship to improve high‐technology sector firms' performance. The paper shows the important role of the top manager's support in developing TDCs and OL. Success in such issues is of vital importance to corporate entrepreneurship in the firm.

The paper seeks to stimulate new lines of research on one variable (TDCs) and to relate it to other constructs, producing new relationships and observing their repercussions for the firm.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of different technological aspects of organizations for Spanish firms' performance through organizational learning and corporate entrepreneurship (where organizational innovation is essential).

The relationships studied are confirmed empirically using a structural equation model to demonstrate the hypotheses. The sample was selected from the database Dun & Bradstreet España for 2003, obtaining 201 Spanish firms. CEOs were the main informants.

The results show that the support adopted by top managers will directly influence the organizational learning process, technological distinctive competencies and corporate entrepreneurship. Technological distinctive competencies are also supported by organizational slack resources, technological skills and a technological infrastructure. Finally, corporate entrepreneurship influences organizational performance.

The paper is exploratory in character, and its goal is to show whether interrelations exist between the variables. The main limitations are: the sectors chosen refer only to Spain; the analysis performed is cross‐sectional; and a single method and self‐reports are used.

The paper shows that to obtain perfect adaptation of the firm to its environment, it is crucial that managers develop corporate entrepreneurship, especially innovation, to improve high‐technology sector firms' performance.

The paper seeks to stimulate new lines of research regarding technological distinctive competencies, organizational learning and corporate entrepreneurship and to relate them to other constructs, observing their repercussions for the firm.

This empirical study aims to examine the influence of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational innovation (OI) and performance (OP) depending on the level of organizational learning in technological firms.

The research examined a sample of 164 pharmaceutical firms. A global model is formulated and the hypotheses are tested using structural equations.

First, the study shows a positive relation between TL and OI, between TL and OP and between OI and OP. Second, the study verifies that these relationships are more strongly reinforced in organizations with high‐organizational learning than in organizations with low levels of organizational learning. Third, the study supports the theoretical arguments made but not demonstrated empirically in the prior literature.

Organizational learning takes places in a technological community of interaction in which knowledge is created and expands in a constant dynamic between the tacit and the explicit with cognitive and behavioral change. Organizations with greater organizational learning generate a network of learning that will make it easier for them to learn what they need to know and to innovate, enabling the organization to maintain its competitive position as a technological center. This shows that organizational learning improves relations substantially between TL, OI and OP.

This study serves as a reference for fostering organizational learning in technological firms. Organizational learning improves relations among TL, OI and OP. Previous studies, although contributing to the understanding of the direct and indirect relations among leadership, innovation and performance, have not addressed the different effects depending on the level of organizational learning in these technological firms.

The purpose of this paper is to study how the size of social networks and the strength of their ties can help CEOs acquire understanding and information from external sources to enable their firms to achieve greater strategic flexibility and the moderating role of organizational climate and uncertainty.

The hypotheses were tested using the data provided by 203 managers of medium-sized and large Spanish firms using regression analysis.

The paper shows that firms have higher levels of strategic flexibility when their CEOs’ social networks are larger. Furthermore, CEOs have more incentives to use strong social-networking ties to develop strategic flexibility when there exists a positive organizational climate and a high degree of environmental uncertainty.

An understanding of these issues offers opportunities to assist CEOs embarking on a new strategic option or to become more effective in building and utilizing their networking activities or organizational climate.

This study explores the paradox over the role of social networks regarding strategic flexibility in uncertain environments. Prior research has presented arguments that uncertainty may be addressed through a wide range of responses, from the promotion of entrepreneurial activities to the adoption of conservative attitudes. The multisector sample reveals evidence of both types of behavior, with each playing a different role with respect to strategic flexibility.

The purpose of this paper is to take an in‐depth look at the differences in learning based on the nature of the process, analysing the influence of CEO perceptions of personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity on the learning level.

This investigation drew up a structured questionnaire to better understand how CEOs face learning issues. A series of χ², t‐tests, Harman's one‐factor tests, correlations, and regression analyses were used. The hypotheses are tested using data from 239 firms located in Spain.

This investigation shows the influence of CEO perceptions of several strategic factors and capabilities (personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity) in single‐ and double‐loop learning and the influence of this learning level on organizational innovation and performance. It adds theoretical and empirical arguments to the two main learning levels in the literature.

The research provides empirical evidence that: personal mastery and a stable environment have a positive and significant impact on the generation of single‐loop learning; personal mastery, shared vision, ambiguous environment and strategic proactivity have a positive and significant influence on the generation of double‐loop learning; and both learning levels affect the generation of greater organizational innovation and performance.

The goal of this research is to provide a model of how service firms respond to their environment by developing both different quality management (QM) practices and organizational learning.

We review the different contributions to the study of the relationship between organizational learning and quality. Based on prior research, we propose a series of hypotheses concerning the influence in service firms of QM practices on organizational learning and the influence of the degree of implementation of the practices. Finally, we tested these hypotheses empirically using a sample of 127 service firms operating in the European Union.

The results of the investigation reveal first, a strong relationship exists among organizational learning and QM practices. Second, we verified that the relations between different QM practices and between QM practices and organizational learning are stronger in service firms with a high degree of implementation of these practices. Finally, we have verified that, although QM practices have been derived from the experience of consultants and practitioners in manufacturing, these practices can be transferred to services.

The conclusions of this study may be subject to several limitations that suggest further possibilities for empirical research. First, survey data based on self‐reports may be subject to social desirability bias. Second, the conclusions established by our study should be interpreted with care when generalizing, since we have concentrated exclusively on the service sector. Third, the cross‐sectional nature of the research allows us to analyze only a specific situation in time of the organizations studied, not their overall conduct through time. Future research should place more emphasis on longitudinal studies.

We have obtained a model of QM practices that encourages learning in service organizations, enabling directors to manage service environments while taking into account their unique characteristics.

This paper identified a model of QM practices (Leadership, policy‐strategy, people, processes and partnerships resources) that encourages organizational learning in service organizations.

This paper aims to examine how Spanish local councils respond to changes in their institutional context by implementing a sustainable practice: Local Agenda 21 (LA21).

This paper uses the institutional approach to explain the factors influencing the adoption of LA21. It develops a series of hypotheses about how specific institutional factors affect the town and city councils that have implemented an LA21, as well as the differences between local councils with high versus medium implementation levels.

The analysis reveals some institutional factors that explain the process of institutional change, the outcomes of LA21, and the differences between local councils.

Only one respondent from each local council completed the questionnaire. The authors tested for common method bias and did not find it to be present.

From a more practical point-of-view, the authors consider LA21 to be an effective instrument for improving both the sustainability of towns and the management of local councils.

The paper proposes institutional theory as a perspective that can explain change in organizations. The main value of the research lies in its identification of the factors affecting the process of change and the outcomes of implementing a sustainable practice like LA21.