Peter A. Murray

Empirical linkages between firm competencies and organisational learning

Organisational learning theory appears to be practical when researchers can find links between two or more variables that can be justified and implemented. While much has been written about organisational learning, with many reported successes, further research is needed to link the internal techniques of procedure with the externalisation of these in practice. Such principles seem more valuable when superior organisational competencies are linked to a learning culture, when the improvement of behavioural routines can be traced to the existence of superior learning. This paper explores these links. The paper is based on an empirical investigation – the contemplative link between learning levels and the creation of organisational competence is a new approach. The paper seeks to make a contribution to developmental theory as well as organisational learning in practice. It suggests that a firm’s competitive advantage can be increased as a result of competencies that are established from a learning culture.

From continuous improvement to organisational learning: developmental theory

As a learning theory, the continuous improvement (CI) discourse has benefited countless manufacturing enterprises to improve and adapt their methods of production. As one of the pillars of total quality management, it has generally included a range of dynamic concepts from high involvement teamwork and production enablers, to other social and technical capabilities such as innovation techniques. Such methodologies have been promoted in the literature as potential manifestos that can transform existing capabilities from simple representations of capability, to dynamically integrated ones (often labelled “full CI capacity”). The latter term in particular deserves more attention in the literature. Since CI techniques cannot be separated from organisational learning methodologies, it follows that CI methods should underpin holistic learning. This paper explores whether CI methodologies have advanced far enough to be considered as integrated and holistic in their own right. If not, it follows that new theories, challenges and discourses should be considered for exploration in the CI literature.

Beyond Rigour and Relevance: A Critical Realist Approach to Business Education

This article takes a critical realist perspective to understand the research—practice gap in the field of business and management. To investigate issues surrounding the rigour versus relevance debate, we examine how the divergent perspectives of scholars and practitioners can be bridged by a critical realist approach in relation to: (1) the research paradigm: instead of confining their research within methodological purism, scholars may need to deploy any research paradigm to investigate a phenomenon in its context, (2) context and causality: critical realism provides an ontological grounding for interpretivist research reaffirming the importance of a focus on context, meaning and interpretation as causal influences, (3) methodological rigidity: multiple research methods will be more important when addressing research—practice gaps since they are more receptive to interdisciplinary functions and contexts in time and space than traditional methodologies, and (4) ethical aspects of business research highlighting the need to engage with the knowledge agenda of not only the university but also society overall. The critical nature of management studies we contend also helps to explain why at least certain research—practice gaps can be treated as natural because of divergent preferences of scholars and practitioners.

Organisational learning, competencies, and firm performance: empirical observations

Empirical research has already postulated the link between learning routines and the creation of competencies, but it is less clear how competencies influence organisational performance. This paper is an empirical investigation determining the relationship between the creation of competencies and the quality of learning. The purpose of the paper is to not only build on prior research that has validated the usefulness of linking levels of learning with the evidence of competencies, but also to illustrate how the creation of competencies is a socially constructed phenomenon. Thus, the paper has a strong theoretical disposition examining the existing literature as well as building on it. Socially constructed routines of themselves have little inimitable advantage to firms unless the routines are underpinned and harnessed by unique learning systems. The paper explores these concepts by showing how the creation of competencies depend on, and are predisposed to, the quality of learning interaction, the routines that are patterned from these, and the capacity of the organisation to turn the new socially constructed routines into superior performance. The paper is expected to make a major contribution to the strategic management literature by showing what types of competencies are more likely to lead to superior firm performance, and how competencies are linked to learning.

Improving marketing intelligence through learning systems and knowledge communities in not‐for‐profit workplaces

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to illustrate how marketing intelligence might be improved when an organisations learning capacity is integrated and incorporated in well‐defined organisational subsystems in a not‐for‐profit context.Design/methodology/approach – First, given that market orientation is primarily concerned with gathering and desseminating marketing intelligence, the paper discusses the theoretical contributions from the learning literature related to interpreting the environment. Second, while many good ideas exist in not‐for‐profit firms, ideas are seldom linked to competencies that must be tracked and developed in the workplace. A more systematic view towards competency creation will increase the unique skills of not‐for‐profits and most likely improve their performance. Third, communities of practice are introduced as a way for not‐for‐profit firms to maximise dramatically the complex relationships that exist between various stakeholders and possible institutional investors. A numb...

Cycles of organisational learning: a conceptual approach

Notes that, in an environment of rapid change, organisational learning theory appears to offer much for organisations trying to grapple with change and growth. However, not all theorists agree on the methodologies of organisational learning, and there is little consensus about how organisations achieve both change and growth simultaneously. The paper attempts to expand the simplistic idea that organisational learning is an adaptive approach supported by individualized and stand‐alone strategies of learning and demonstrates how various conventions of learning can be understood as integrated learning cycles, from which organisations can chart new paradigms of learning in practice. Current theories of organizational learning are imbued with their own sense of history making, clever manifestos that support a workshop or case study approach, and questionable rather than empirical validations of an internally consistent phenomenon. Existing theories of learning, however, are valuable to the extent that they collectively represent a community of practice from which scholars and practitioners benefit. New conceptual approaches are needed, however, to link current practices and empirical observation, so that individualized approaches to organizational learning can be integrated.

Fashions of learning: improving supply‐chain relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a new model of organisational learning that can be used to identify the actual and desired behavioural gaps between firms engaged in supply‐chain relationships. Improved learning implementation is expected to improve significantly the competitive dynamics between supplier‐client‐customer relationships.Design/methodology/approach – First, the paper discusses the boundary‐spanning chain that takes information from consumers and uses it to tell manufacturers what products to make. For many, transforming down‐side requirements from thought into action has required major reengineering of existing organisational structures, business processes, and the information technology that supports them. The paper discusses why organisational learning is an inherent part of this process. Next, the paper examines various types of organisational learning processes. Third, the paper discusses various strategies for improving learning. The discussion suggests that supply‐chain...

Critical issues in managing age diversity in Australia

This paper explores and discusses a number of factors related to critical issues in ageing. First, it explores age-based discriminatory practices found in labour management policies which are outdated and fail to reflect a range of changing demographics and social trends. Second, the paper examines several context-specific issues in HR policies that inadequately reflect recent trends in ageing. Several solutions are proposed, not least changes in job design factors that might account for the differences between younger and older groups. A poor match between the current realities facing mature workers on the one hand and inadequate organisational policies on the other underpins much of the discussion.

Learning by auditing: a knowledge creating approach

The following case study demonstrates how an organisation can integrate learning with normal business processes so that it not only shares its knowledge and continuously improves at a high rate, but also, achieves this without significant disruption to its routine business. Against a background of traditional learning techniques that advocate linear learning, the study advances the theme of multiple learning processes to facilitate a more flexible approach to organisational learning. The study describes how auditing can be used as a learning tool to detect potential problems before they become operationally troublesome. A number of audit processes outline how an organisation can expedite collective learning, generate considerable quantities of information, and consider early responses to forces of change.

The centrality of teams in the organisational learning process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a greater understanding of the role of team learning by examining the link between team centrality and organisational learning.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a conceptual paper that examines a range of literature related to team learning. It is the first paper in a series of three. The final paper examines the propositions developed in this and a subsequent paper by exploring team learning in over 30 large companies across a range of industries. Team processes are all but defined by pre‐existing organisational processes. At one extreme, they are directive and driven. At another, they are dynamic and fluid and underlie a degree of self‐managed activity. Team processes accordingly are potentially dynamic or rather basic depending on the level of structured or unstructured activity. The paper suggests that potentially dynamic teams are those that display superior learning routines that are embodied within each teams processes. This paper contend...