The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning in the Relationship between Knowledge Management and Organizational Innovation (Case Study: Faculty Members of a Military University)

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 AJA university

2 Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: Having up-to-date knowledge and information and innovative behavior in professors is one of the main concerns of university administrators. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of knowledge management on organizational innovation mediated by organizational learning among faculty members of a military university.
Methods: This is a descriptive-correlational study. The study population consisted of faculty members of a military university in Tehran in 2018. 110 people were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using three knowledge management questionnaires Gold, Malhotra and Segars, organizational innovation questionnaire (Jiménez-Jimenez and Peniades and Suhel et al) and Nife organizational learning questionnaire, whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Questionnaires were distributed among faculty members in different faculties of the university and after one week, they were collected. Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used for data analysis.
Results: The correlation coefficient between knowledge management and organizational innovation was equal to 0.403 and between organizational learning and organizational innovation was equal to 0.433 (p=0.01). The positive correlation coefficients indicated that there is a direct relationship between these variables and indicates that with increasing knowledge management and organizational learning, the level of organizational innovation increases. Structural equation modeling also showed that organizational learning has a strong mediating role in the relationship between knowledge management and organizational innovation.
Conclusion: According to the research findings, university managers and military colleges can improve the knowledge management and organizational learning conditions leading to the development of innovative approach and behavior among faculty members and thereby increase in the efficiency of the university.

Keywords


1. Aghoubi M, Ghardashi F, Izadi A. Investigating and Designing a Model for Influencing Factors in the Production of Knowledge in an Institute of Military Medical University: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis. J Mil Med. 2017; 19 (1) :22-30. 2. Hutzschenreuter T, Kleindienst I. Strategy-process research: What have we learned and what is still to be explored. Journal of management. 2006; 32(5):673-720. doi:10.1177/0149206306291485 3. Ghazizadeh Fard SZ, Ataei S. Knowledge management is an effective factor in organizations (an analysis of the role of knowledge acquisition and experience in organizations). Journal of Human Resource Management Development & Support. 2013; 8 (27): 157-137. 4. Ahmadian SA, Shekari H, Afshari M. The Relationship between Knowledge Recession, Organizational Learning and Organizational Innovation in Yazd Higher Education Centers. Journal of Organizational Culture Management. 2011; 9 (2): 154-131. 5. Rademakers M. Corporate universities: Driving force of knowledge innovationJournal of Workplace Learning. 2005; 17(1): 130-136. doi:10.1108/13665620510574513 6. Monacko NJ. Knowledge management in universities. Journal of Academy of U.P.M University. 2008; 10(42): 32-41. 7. Mooghali AR, Azizi AR. Relation between Organizational Intelligence Organizational knowledge Management Development. World Applied Science Journal. 2008; 4(1): 1-8. 8. Yaghoubi M, Amiri Fini SH, Rahmati-Najarkolaei F. The Relationship between Customer Knowledge Management (CKM) on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tasks in a Military Hospital. J Mil Med. 2017; 18 (4):308-315 9. Liao SH, Fei WC, Liu CT. Relationships between knowledge inertia, organizational learning and organization innovation. Technovation. 2008;28: 183-195. doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2007.11.005 10. Hung RY, Lien BY, Yang B, Wu CM, Kuo YM. Impact of TQM and organizational learning on innovation performance in the high-tech industry. International business review. 2011;20(2):213-25.. 11. Martínez-Pérez Á, García-Villaverde PM, Elche D. The mediating effect of ambidextrous knowledge strategy between social capital and innovation of cultural tourism clusters firms. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 2016. doi:10.1108/IJCHM-08-2014-0405 12. Singh SK, Gupta S, Busso D, Kamboj S. Top management knowledge value, knowledge sharing practices, open innovation and organizational performance. Journal of Business Research. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.04.040 13. Jiménez‐Jimenez D, Valle RS, Hernandez‐Espallardo M. Fostering innovation. European Journal of innovation management. 2008. doi:10.1108/14601060810889026 14. Zheng W. A social capital perspective of innovation from individuals to nations: Where is empirical literature directing us? International Journal of Management Reviews. 2008; 10(4):1-39. 15. Gumusluoglu L, Ilsev A. Transformational leadership, creativity, and organizational innovation. Journal of business research. 2009;62(4):461-73. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.07.032 16. Martins EC, Terblanche F. Building organisational culture that stimulates creativity and innovation. European journal of innovation management. 2003. doi:10.1108/14601060310456337 17. Hemphälä J, Magnusson M. Networks for innovation-but what networks and what innovation?. Creativity and Innovation Management, 2012; 21(1): 3-16. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8691.2012.00625.x 18. Ojasalo J. Management of innovation networks: a case study of different approaches. European journal of Innovation Management. 2008;11(1):51-86. doi:10.1108/14601060810845222 19. Filippetti A. Innovation modes and design as a source of innovation: a firm‐level analysis. European Journal of Innovation Management. 2011. 20. Çömlek O, Kitapçı H, Çelik V, Özşahin M. The effects of organizational learning capacity on firm innovative performance. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;41:367-74. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.04.043 21. Hu B. Linking business models with technological innovation performance through organizational learning. European Management Journal. 2014;32(4):587-95. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2013.10.009 22. Au YA, Carpenter D, Chen X, Clark JG. Virtual organizational learning in open source software development projects. Information & Management. 2009;46(1):9-15. doi:10.1016/j.im.2008.09.004 23. Templeton GF, Lewis BR, Snyder CA. Development of a Measure for the Organizational Learning Construct. Journal of Management Information Systems 2002; 19(2):175-218. doi:10.1080/07421222.2002.11045727 24. Tohidi H, Jabbari MM. Studying impact of organizational learning on innovating, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;31:408-413. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.075 25. Boleslaw R. Ethical context of the participative leadership model: taking people into account Journal of Corporate Governance. 2009;9(4):461-472. doi:10.1108/14720700910985007 26. Hashemi P, Khadivar A, Shami Zanjani M. Development of Process-Based Ontology for Knowledge Management Technologies. Journal of Information Processing and Management. 2018; 33 (3): 1153-1176. 27. Lo JY, Nag R, Xu L, Agung SD. Organizational innovation efforts in multiple emerging market categories: Exploring the interplay of opportunity, ambiguity, and socio-cognitive contexts. Research Policy. 2020;49(3):103911.‌ doi:10.1016/j.respol.2019.103911 28. Liao SH, Wu CC. System perspective of knowledge management, organizational learning, and organizational innovation. Expert systems with Applications. 2010;37(2):1096-103. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2009.06.109 29. Su KJ, Huang LC, Hsieh HL. The development of a knowledge flow paradigm in engineering education: Empirical research in Taiwanese universities. World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education. 2004;3(1):125-8. 30. Hong JC, Kuo CL. Knowledge management in the learning organization. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 1999. doi:10.1108/01437739910277019 31. Yaghoubi M, Karimi S, Javadi M, Nikbakht A. A correlation study on organization learning and knowledge management in staffs in selected hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Health Administration. 2011;13(42):65-75. 32. Mesbahi J, Adibzadeh M. The Impact of Knowledge Management System on Organizational Innovation (Investigating the Role of Organizational Learning). Journal of Science Studies. 2016;2(5) 25-25. 33. Davarzani H, Kazemzadeh R, Degradi SH. Developing a Model for Investigating the Impacts of Organizational Learning Ability on Innovation. Sharif Industrial Engineering & Management. 2010: 28(2);3-14. 34. Massingham P. Organizational commitment, knowledge management interventions, and learning organization capacity. The Learning Organization journal. 2009.16 (2):122-142 doi:10.1108/09696470910939206 35. Mahmoudi MT, Afzalkohi F, Forozandeh A. Investigating and Evaluating the Relationship between Organizational Learning and Organizational Innovation of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Educational Management Innovations. 2016; 11 (2): 121-103. 36. Jiménez-Jiménez D, Sanz-Valle R. Innovation, organizational learning, and performance. Journal of business research. 2011; 64(4): 408-417. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.09.010 37. Kyoung Park Y, Hoon Song J, Won Yoon S, Kim J. Learning organization and innovative behavior the mediating effect of work engagement. European Journal of Training and Development. 2013; 38(1/2): 75-94. doi:10.1108/EJTD-04-2013-0040 38. Hung RY, Lien BY, Yang B, Wu CM, Kuo YM. Impact of TQM and organizational learning on innovation performance in the high-tech industry. International business review. 2011;20(2):213-25. 39. Ghorbani M, Neyshabouri VR, Erfanian Khanzadeh H, Yaghoubi M. Investigating the mediating role of organizational capability in the relationship between knowledge sharing and organizational innovation capability. Public Management Research. 2016; 9 (64): 154-125. 40. Asadi S, Mahmoudi M. Survey of the Relationship of Knowledge Management and Organizational Creativity and Innovation among the Employees of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Hospital. 2018;17(1):97-108. 41. Chang SC, Lee MS. The Linkage between Knowledge Accumulation Capability and Organizational Innovation. Journal of Knowledge Management. 2008;12(1):3-20. doi:10.1108/13673270810852359 42. Chung HF, Yang Z, Huang PH. How does organizational learning matter in strategic business performance? The contingency role of guanxi networking. Journal of Business Research. 2015;68 (6):1216-24. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.016