A comparison of the Levels of Organizational Learning in Hospitals, Based on Ownership Types: A Case Study in Iran
Abstract
Objective: Learning new skills tremendously increases the self-confidence of employees and helps them attain their organizational targets. This study was done to compare the levels of organizational learning in hospitals with regard to ownership type. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an analytical-descriptive approach in 2016. The research community members included 2,162 employees of the nominated hospitals in Lorestan province. The sample consisted of 339 people, who were selected using Cochran’s formula with 95% reliability factor. The data collection tools used were the Persian edition of Watkins and Marsick’s standard questionnaire (2003). The collected data was analyzed by SPSS 20 software using statistical tests (i.e. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, t-test, and ANOVA), and p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The average score of learning variable was 2.77±0.64 for teaching hospitals, 2.57±0.77 for Social Security hospitals, and 3.21±0.94 for private hospitals. Learning variables variances were different in these three types of ownership (p < 0.001). Moreover, significant differences were found between learning aspects of individual learning (p < 0.001), group learning (p = 0.007), and organizational learning (p = 0.002). The study was based on the type of hospital ownership. Conclusion: The level of organizational learning in hospitals has a significant difference with regard to their type of ownership. The level of learning can be improved with the help of staff empowerment initiatives taken toward attaining common goals, creating equal opportunities for continuous learning for all personnel, and an appropriate relationship of the organization with the surrounding environment.References
Haase H, Franco M, Félix M. Organisational learning and intrapreneurship: evidence of interrelated concepts. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 2015;36:906-26.
Belle S, Belle S. Organizational learning? Look again. The Learning Organization. 2016;23:332-41.
Rad EH, Afkar H, Farmanbar R, Nasiri BF. Estimating relationship between type of disability and labor force participation: a community based study in Iran. Gazi Medical Journal. 2017;28:72-5.
Chiva R, Alegre J, Lapiedra R. Measuring organisational learning capability among the workforce. International Journal of Manpower. 2007;28:224-42.
Jahani MA, Rahimi V, Mahmoudjanloo S, Mahmoudi G, Bahrami MA. The relationship between learning levels and job satisfaction among hospital employees with the job class as a moderator variable. Bali Medical Journal (Bali Med J). 2017;6:173-7.
Barakat A, Moussa F. Variables influencing expatriate learning and organizational learning. Competitiveness Review. 2014;24:275-92.
Paajanen P, Kantola J, Karwowski W, Vanharanta H. Applying systems thinking in the evaluation of organizational learning and knowledge creation. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics. 2006;3:79-84.
Andreou PC, Louca C, Petrou AP. Organizational learning and corporate diversification performance. Journal of Business Research. 2016;69:3270-84.
Tohidi H, Jabbari MM. The relationship between self learning and organized learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;31:866-9.
Hasson H, Tafvelin S, von Thiele Schwarz U. Comparing employees and managers’ perceptions of organizational learning, health, and work performance. Advances in developing human resources. 2013;15:163-76.
Segaro EL, Larimo J, Jones MV. Internationalisation of family small and medium sized enterprises: The role of stewardship orientation, family commitment culture and top management team. International business review. 2014;23:381-95.
Aktas N, De Bodt E, Roll R. Learning from repetitive acquisitions: Evidence from the time between deals. Journal of Financial Economics. 2013;108:99-117.
Farzianpour F, Irani A, Foroushani AR. Determine the Level of Organizational Learning Capability in Teaching Hospitals in Bandar Abbas City—Iran. Health. 2016;8:24-31.
Moriceau J-L, Paes I. An apprenticeship to pleasure: aesthetics dynamics in organizational learning. Society and Business Review. 2016;11:80-92.
Wilson DG, Hartung KJ. Types of informal learning in cross-organizational collegial conversations. Journal of Workplace Learning. 2015;27:596-610.
Santos JLS, Steil AV. Organizational learning and power dynamics: a study in a Brazilian University. The Learning Organization. 2015;22:115-30.
Campbell TT, Armstrong SJ. A longitudinal study of individual and organisational learning. The Learning Organization. 2013;20:240-58.
Kivipõld K, Kivipõld K, Hoffman RC, Hoffman RC. Organizational learning in context of part-time employment: A case study of an Estonian media company. International Journal of Organizational Analysis. 2016;24:650-72.
Bahadori M, Hamouzadeh P, Qodoosinejad J, Yousefvand M. Organizational learning capabilities of nurses in Iran. Global Business and Management Research. 2012;4:248-54.
Mirkamali SM, Thani FN, Alami F. Examining the role of transformational leadership and job satisfaction in the organizational learning of an automotive manufacturing company. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2011;29:139-48.
Kaçmaz R, Serinkan C. A research on levels of organizational learning in educational institutions. International Journal of Organizational Leadership. 2016;5:285-98.
Hasson H, von Thiele Schwarz U, Holmstrom S, Karanika-Murray M, Tafvelin S. Improving organizational learning through leadership training. Journal of Workplace Learning. 2016;28:115-29.
Tamayo-Torres I, Tamayo-Torres I, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez LJ, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez LJ, Llorens-Montes FJ, Llorens-Montes FJ, et al. Organizational learning and innovation as sources of strategic fit. Industrial Management & Data Systems. 2016;116:1445-67.
Lim T. Relationships among organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and learning organization culture in one Korean private organization. Asia Pacific education review. 2010;11:311-20.
Cheung CK, Cheung CK, Geng S, Geng S, Chuah KB, Chuah KB, et al. Organizational learning in shop floor level. The Learning Organization. 2016;23:274-98.
Nadi MA, Sajjadian I. A Study Of Factor Structure, Validity, Reliability And Normalization Of Learning Organization Dimension Scale At The University. Journal of Educational Sciences. 2011;3:121-42.
Aparicio J, Crespo-Cebada E, Pedraja-Chaparro F, Santín D. Comparing school ownership performance using a pseudo-panel database: A Malmquist-type index approach. European Journal of Operational Research. 2017;256:533-42.
Raj R, Raj R, Srivastava KB, Srivastava KB. Mediating role of organizational learning on the relationship between market orientation and innovativeness. The Learning Organization. 2016;23:370-84.
Hampton D, Pearce PF, Moser DK. Preferred Methods of Learning for Nursing Students in an On-Line Degree Program. Journal of Professional Nursing. 2017;33:27-37.
Montgomerie K, Montgomerie K, Edwards M, Edwards M, Thorn K, Thorn K. Factors influencing online learning in an organisational context. Journal of Management Development. 2016;35:1313-22.
Heidari S, Nayeri ND, Ravari A, Sabzevari S. How organizational learning is associated with patient rights: a qualitative content analysis. Global health action. 2016;9:30939.
Ding DX. The effect of experience, ownership and focus on productive efficiency: A longitudinal study of US hospitals. Journal of Operations Management. 2014;32:1-14.
Beyene KT, Shi CS, Wu WW. The impact of innovation strategy on organizational learning and innovation performance: Do firm size and ownership type make a difference? South African Journal of Industrial Engineering. 2016;27:125-36.
Zhou W, Hu H, Shi X. Does https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-10-2012-0061 organizational learning lead to higher firm performance? An investigation of Chinese listing companies. The Learning Organization. 2015;22:271-88.
Yan M, Yu Y, Dong X. Contributive roles of multilevel organizational learning for the evolution of organizational ambidexterity. Information Technology & People. 2016;29:647-67.
