Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
276969 International Journal of Project Management 2008 12 Pages PDF
Abstract

Previous studies have rarely examined the link between contracting organizations’ practice of intra-organizational learning (intra-OL) and engagement in inter-organizational learning (inter-OL). Thus, when the effect of intra-OL on performance improvement was investigated, the role of inter-OL was not included in the equation. This paper reports a study that aims to test empirically whether the effect of practicing intra-OL on performance improvement is contingent on the contracting organizations’ engagement in inter-OL. A conceptual model which depicts the hypothesized relationships between practicing intra-OL, engagement in inter-OL and performance improvement is presented. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey. To test the conceptual model, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple moderated regression (MMR) analysis were employed. The results suggest that contracting organizations’ practice of intra-OL is symbiotic to their engagement to learn at inter-organizational level. In particular, ‘the development of Project Monitoring System’ is identified as the most versatile inter-OL attribute which energizes the effect of practicing single-loop and double-loop learning on performance improvement. The findings in this study timely remind the importance of providing useful feedback so as to vitalize OL and make performance improvement sustainable.

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Physical Sciences and Engineering Engineering Civil and Structural Engineering
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