El aprendizaje en las organizaciones : aplicación al sector agroalimentario

Abstract

[SPA] El aprendizaje se ha convertido en un proceso imprescindible para la creación de conocimiento en las organizaciones. La ausencia de modelos de análisis y medición del aprendizaje organizativo ha llevado a desarrollarse uno, donde se integran los sujetos del aprendizaje, actividades, factores, herramientas y resultados. Además, la dificultad de medir el aprendizaje y la ausencia de instrumentos de medición ha llevado a contemplar en este trabajo a la construcción de una escala de medida del mismo, que ha permitido contrastase el efecto positivo que éste tiene sobre los resultados organizativos, según el sujeto que los desarrolla.

[ENG] The first objectives of this study is to create a scale to measure learning in organization. The second one is to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between organizational learning and organizational results: operational, financial and kind of created knowledge. Organizational learning is the process that increases the knowledge of the organization and its members through different activities. An integrated learning model has been developed to be taken as the theoretical framework for the provided scale. Following many authors orientations, a multilevel learning approach has been followed distinguishing tree levels according to the learning subjects: individual, group and organization. This model takes into consideration the learning activities, the factors that create the internal environment that boots the learning process at those levels as well as the tools that can be used by the different subjects. A 221 items were defined in order to create a scale to measure learning in organizations. Delphi methodology as well as the exploratory factorial analysis was applied to reduce this number of items. The final list includes 96 items. Using data from the Agriculture activity sector, the selected items present high level of significance, acceptable explained variance value, KMO and important internal reliability test (Cronbach's alpha). To analyse the impact of the organizational learning on the organizational results, financial and operative measurements as well as the kind of created knowledge were introduced different items and were used as financial data. To evaluate operative results, using a 7 point Likert scale, CEOs had to indicate how learning process has improved them over a list of 11 possibilities. Finally, items to identify single-loop learning and double loop learning, also using a 7 point Likert scale, were introduced to know the kind of knowledge created by learning process. Giving the preceding framework, the following proposition have been accepted by this study: (a) Individual learning has a positive effect on operational results and single-loop learning. (b) Group learning does not show any significant relationship with the introduced variables of results either with the king of knowledge. (c) Organizational learning has a positive effect on operational results and single-loop learning. (d) Learning tools has a positive effect on double and single-loop learning.