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Understanding How Organizational Culture Typology Relates to Organizational Unlearning and Innovation Capabilities

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Abstract

This study focuses on the link between organizational unlearning and innovation capabilities and explores how this relationship might be managed within an innovative firm. In order to gain a clearer insight into to the influence of a firm’s culture on organizational unlearning and its innovation capabilities, a research model was developed that employs the Competing Values Framework (Cameron and Quinn, 1999). In this model, the influence of a firm’s cultural typology on unlearning and innovation is conceptualized and hypotheses are developed. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 145 firms drawn from the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector, and the relationships between the constructs were assessed using the partial least squares path-modeling approach. The results reveal that each distinct organizational culture exerts a different impact on the innovation and unlearning outcome variables. In particular, an adhocracy culture is associated closely with innovation capabilities while a market culture exerts a significant influence on organizational unlearning.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain

    Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez, José Antonio Ariza-Montes & Emilio J. Morales-Fernández

  2. Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Stephen Eldridge

Authors
  1. Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez
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  2. Stephen Eldridge
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  3. José Antonio Ariza-Montes
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  4. Emilio J. Morales-Fernández
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez.

Appendix

Appendix

A. Organizational Culture (OCAI) (Cameron and Quinn 1999)

  1. 1.

    My organization is characterized for being…

    • A very personal place, almost an extension of family

    • A very dynamic and entrepreneurial entity. People are willing to bet on their ideas and take risks

    • A very results-oriented entity. People are very competitive and achievement-oriented

    • A very hierarchical formalized and structured entity. Any activity is provided with previously established standards and procedures

  2. 2.

    Leadership in my organization…

    • Is generally identified with orientation (mentoring), facilitation and support (nurturing)

    • Is characterized by fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and risks assumption.

    • Is characterized by having a practical, aggressive and results-oriented focus

    • Is characterized for promoting coordination, organization, the good functioning (operation) and efficiency

  3. 3.

    The management of the employees in my organization…

    • Is characterized by a management style based in teamwork, consensus and participation

    • Is characterized by promoting individual initiative, risk-taking, innovation, and uniqueness

    • Is characterized by promoting a competitive spirit, high demands and a clear orientation towards achievement

    • Is characterized by employment security, compliance, predictability and stability in relations

  4. 4.

    The values shared by the staff in my organization are…

    • Mutual loyalty and trust. Great importance is given to the commitment to the Organization

    • The commitment to innovation, development and continuous change

    • The emphasis on achievement and the consecution of goals or objectives

    • Respect for and compliance with standards and formal policies to maintain the good functioning of the firm

  5. 5.

    The strategic priorities in my organization are…

    • The development of the person, trust, honesty and participation

    • The acquisition of new resources and the creation of new challenges. Originality and the search for opportunities are appreciated

    • The actions and competitive achievements. To gain market share is considered to be something predominant

    • Permanence, stability, efficiency, control, and the fluidity of the operations are important

  6. 6.

    Success criteria in my organization are based on…

    • The development of the Human Resources, teamwork, the employee commitment and the concern for people

    • The development of unique and novelty products or services. We aspire to become leaders in production and innovation

    • Gaining market share and displacing the competitors. To become the market leader is the key

    • Efficiency. Reliable deliveries, refined programming and low cost represent fundamental aspects

B. Organizational Unlearning (Cegarra and Sanchez 2008)

  1. 1.

    In my company…

    • Employees are able to easily identify problems (new ways of doing things)

    • Employees are able to identify mistakes from their colleagues

    • Employees are able to listen to the customer (eg: complaints, suggestions…)

    • Employees are able to easily share information with the Managers

    • Employees try to reflect and learn from their own mistakes

  2. 2.

    In my company…

    • Managers seem to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things

    • Managers have tried to start projects

    • Managers recognize the value of acquiring, assimilating and applying new information

    • Managers adopt the employees’ suggestions in the form of new routines and processes

    • Managers are willing to work together with the employees of the company and resolve problems together

    • Managers are concerned about the fact that the way to respond to unforeseen circumstances will be known by all

  3. 3.

    In my company…

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to identify their own mistakes

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to undesirable attitudes

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to identify behaviors improper for the place

    • Individuals recognize the forms of reasoning or to arrive at solutions such as inadequate

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to change their behaviors

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to change their attitudes

    • The existence of new situations have helped individuals to change their thoughts

C. Innovation Outcomes (Prajogo and Ahmed 2006)

  1. 1.

    In my company…

    • The level of novelty (innovation) of the new products is very high

    • We use the latest technological innovations in our new products

    • We are very quickly in the development of new products

    • We have a large number of new products introduced into the market

    • We possess a high technological competitiveness in everything we do (greater than all our competitors)

    • We are very quickly in the adoption of the latest technological innovations in our processes

    • Actuality and novelty of the technology used in our processes are high

    • We possess a high rate of change and renewal in our processes, procedures and techniques

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Leal-Rodríguez, A.L., Eldridge, S., Ariza-Montes, J.A. et al. Understanding How Organizational Culture Typology Relates to Organizational Unlearning and Innovation Capabilities. J Knowl Econ 10, 1497–1514 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0344-6

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