The Influence of the Organizational Learning Phases in the Total Process: A Special Analysis of Organizational Structure

Organizational learning (OL) is a process that transforms information into knowledge within an organization, by a set of sequential phases (information acquisition, information distribution, shared interpretation, and organizational memory). The previous OL phases are considered as precursors of the next OL activity. The organizational structure also plays a crucial role in determining learning processes. This study aims to analyze the importance of prior OL phases on OL, and examine empirically whether the organizational structure (job specialization -vertical and horizontal-, formalization, centralization and indoctrination) affects directly to the OL process. Carrying out regression analysis, this study has two different implications. First, all OL phases have a positive and significant effect on OL activity. And second, organizational structure directly affects the OL, where high vertical job specialization and low centralization are significantly associated with greater capacity for information distribution, low horizontal job specialization and formalization with shared interpretation, and low formalization with organizational memory.