Organizational trust, learning capability and performance: An empirical study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51302/rtss.2013.3094Keywords:
organizational learning capability, organizational trust, organizational learning, trustAbstract
Over the last few years, research on trust within organizations has been becoming increasingly important. Despite the fact that the majority of studies have suggested that it is beneficial for organizational performance, some empirical evidence has generated contradictory results concerning these variables. For this reason, this research attempts to look in depth at the relationships between trust and organizational performance, using organizational learning capability as an explanatory mediator variable. To confirm the hypotheses, the structural equation technique has been used on data from a survey carried out with the Spanish companies most highly rated by workers or where human resources management is considered important. The results obtained show that learning capability mediates in the relationship between trust and organizational performance, in which trust positively affects organizational learning capability and this, in turn, is positively related to organizational performance.
Downloads
References
AHIRE, S.L.; GOLHAR, D.Y. y WALLER, M.A. [1996]: «Development and validation of TQM implementation constructs», Decision Sciences, 27 (1), págs. 23-56.
AKGÜN A.E.; BYRNE, J.C.; LYNN G.S. y KESKIN, H. [2007]: «New product development in turbulent environments: Impact of improvisation and unlearning on new product performance», Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 24, págs. 203-230.
ALEGRE, J. y CHIVA, R. [2008]: «Assessing the impact of organizational learning capability on product innovation performance: An empirical test», Technovation, vol. 28, págs. 315-326.
– [2012]: «Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance: The Role of Organizational Learning Capability and Innovation Performance», Journal of Small Business Management (in press).
ALTUNTAS, S. y BAYKAL, U. [2010]: «Relationship Between Nurses’ Organizational Trust Levels and Their Organizational Citizenship Behaviours», Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42 (2), págs. 186-194.
ANDERSON, J.C. y GERBING, D.W. [1982]: «Some methods for respecifying measurement models to obtain unidimensional construct measures», Journal of Marketing Research, 19, págs. 453-560.
– [1988]: «Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach», Psychological Bulletin, 103 (3), págs. 411-423.
ARGYRIS, C. [1964]: Integrating the individual and the organization, New York: John Wiley y Sons, Inc.
ARGYRIS C. y SCHÖN, D.A. [1978]: Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective, Addison-Wesley, Reading: Massachusetts.
ARROW, K.J. [1974]: The Limits of Organization, New York: Norton.
BARNEY, J.B. y HANSEN, M.H. [1994]: «Trustworthiness as a source of competitive advantage», Strategic Management Journal, 15, págs. 175-190.
BATISTA, J.M. y COENDERS, G. [2000]: Modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Madrid: La Muralla/Hespérides.
BELL, G.G.; OPPENHEIMER, R.J. y BASTIEN, A. [2002]: «Trust deterioration in an international buyer-supplier relationship», Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 36, n.º 1/2, págs. 65-78.
BONTIS, N.; CROSSAN, M. y HULLAND, J. [2002]: «Managing an organizational learning system by aligning stocks and flows», Journal of Management Studies, vol. 39, n.º 4, págs. 437-469.
BOU-LLUSAR, J.C.; ESCRIG, A.B.; ROCA V. y BELTRÁN, I. [2009]: «An empirical assessment of the EFQM Excellence Model: Evaluation as a TQM framework relative to the MBNQA Model», Journal of Operations Management, 27, págs. 1-22.
BROWN, J.S. y DUGUID, P. [1991]: «Organizational Learning and Communities of Practice: Toward a Unified View of Working, Learning, and Innovation», Organization Science, vol. 2, n.º 1, págs. 40-57.
BRUNET, I.; BELZUNEGUI, A. y PASTOR, I. [2000]: Les tècniques d’investigació social i la seva aplicació, Tarragona: Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
BYRNE, B.M. [2006]: Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
CAMELO, C.; MARTÍN, F.; ROMERO, P.M. y VALLE, R. [2004]: «Human resources management in Spain: is it possible to speak of a typical model?», International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15, págs. 935-958.
CHIVA, R. y ALEGRE, J. [2008]: «Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction: the role of organizational learning capability», Personnel Review, 37 (5-6), págs. 680-701.
— [2009a]: «Investment in design and firm performance: The mediating role of design management», Journal of Product Innovation Management, 26 (4), págs. 424-440.
— [2009b]: «Organizational learning capability and job satisfaction: An empirical assessment in the ceramic tile industry», British Journal of Management, vol. 20, n.º 3, págs. 323-340.
CHIVA, R.; GRANDÍO, A. y ALEGRE. J. [2010]: «Adaptive and Generative learning: implications from Complexity Theories», International Journal of Management Reviews, 12 (2), págs. 114-129.
CHIVA, R.; ALEGRE, J. y LAPIEDRA, R. [2007]: «Measuring organizational learning capability among the workforce», International Journal of Manpower, 28 (3), págs. 224-242.
CHRISTMANN, P. [2000]: «Effects of "best practices" of environmental management on cost advantage: The role of complementary assets», Academy of Management Journal, 43 (4), págs. 663-680.
COLEMAN, J.S. [1990]: Foundations of Social Theory, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
COLQUITT, J.; SCOTT, B. y LEPINE, J. [2007]: «Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-amalytic test of their unique relationships with risk talking and job performance», Journal of Applied Psychology, 92 (4), págs. 909-927.
COOK, J. y WALL, T. [1980]: «New work attitude measures of trust, organizational commitment and personal need non-fulfillment», Journal of Occupational Psychology, 53, págs. 39-52.
COOK, K.S. y SCHILKE, O. [2010]: «The role of public, relational and organizational trust in economic affairs», Corporate Reputation Review, 13 (2), págs. 98-109.
COSTIGAN, R.D.; ILTER, S.S. y BERMAN, J.J. [1998]: «A Multi-Dimensional Study of Trust in Organizations», Journal of Management Issues, 10 (3), págs. 303-317.
CRONBACH, L.J. [1951]: «Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests», Psychometrica, 16, págs. 297-334.
CROSSAN, M.; LANE, H. y WHITE, R. [1999]: «An organizational learning framework: From intuition to institution», Academy of Management Review, 24, págs. 522-537.
CYERT, R. y MARCH, J.G. [1963]: A Behavioral Theory of the Firm, (2.ª ed., 1992), Oxford: Blackwell.
DAVENPORT, S.; DAVIES, J. y GRIMES, C. [1999]: «Collaborative research programmes: building trust from difference», Technovation, vol. 19, págs. 31-40.
DAVENPORT, T. y PRUSAK, L. [1998]: «Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know», Harvard Business School, Boston.
DAVIS, J.H.; SCHOORMAN, F.D.; MAYER, R.C. y TAN, H.H. [2000]: «The trusted general manager and business unit performance: Empirical evidence of a competitive advantage», Strategic Management Journal, 21, págs. 563-576.
DECAROLIS, M.D. y DEEDS, D. [1999]: «The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: An empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry», Strategic Management Journal, 20, págs. 953-969.
DECHOW, P.M.; SLOAN, R.G. y SWEENEY, A. [1995]: «Detecting earnings management», Accounting Review, 70 (2), págs. 193-225.
DIBELLA A.J.; NEVIS, E.C. y GOULD, J.M. [1996]: «Understanding organizational learning capability», Journal of Operations Management, 33 (3), págs. 361-379.
DIERICKX, I. y COOL, K. [1989]: «Asset Stock Accumulation and Sustainability of Competitive Advantage», Management Science, vol. 35, págs. 1.504-1.513.
DIRKS, K.T. [1999]: «The effects of interpersonal trust on work group performance», Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, págs. 445-455.
DIRKS, K.T. y FERRIN, D.L. [2001]: «The role of trust in organizational settings», Organization Science, 12 (4), págs. 450-467.
DOUGLAS, C. y ZIVNUSKA, S. [2008]: «Developing trust in leaders: An antecedent of firm performance», S. A. M. Advanced Management Journal, 73, págs. 20-28.
DYER, J.H. y CHU, W. [2003]: «The role of trustworthiness in reducing transaction costs and improving performance: Empirical evidence from the United States, Japan, and Korea», Organization Science, 14 (1), págs. 57-68.
– [2011]: «The determinants of trust in supplier–automaker relationships in the US, Japan, and Korea», Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 42, págs. 10-27.
DYMOCK, D. [2003]: «Developing a Culture of Learning in a Changing Industrial Climate: An Australian Case Study», Advances in Developing Human Resources, 5 (2), págs. 182-195.
ELLINGER A.D.; ELLINGER, A.E.; YAND, B. y HOWTON, S.W. [2002]: «The Relationship between the Learning Organization Concept and Firms' Financial Performance: An Empirical Assessment», Human Resource Development Quarterly, vol. 13, n.º 1, págs. 5-21.
FORNELL, C. y LARCKER, D. F. 1981. «Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error», Journal of Marketing Research, 18 (1), págs. 39-50.
FOX, A. [1974]: Beyond Contract: Work, Power and Trust Relations, London: Faber and Faber.
GAMBETTA, D. [1988]: «Can we trust trust?», en D. Gambetta (ed.), Trust: Making and breaking cooperative relations, New York: Blackwell, págs. 213-237.
GARGIULO, M. y ERTUG, G. [2006]: «The dark side of trust», en R. Bachmann y A. Zaheer (eds.), Handbook of Trust Research, Massachusetts, Edward Elgard Publishing, Inc.
GARVIN, D.A. [2000]: Learning in action: A guide to putting the learning organization to work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
GATIGNON, H.; TUSHMAN, M.L.; SMITH, W. y ANDERSON, P. [2002]: «A structural approach to assessing innovation: Construct development of innovation locus, type, and characteristics», Management Science, 48 (9), págs. 1.103-1.122.
GAUR, A.S.; MUKHERJEE, D.; GAUR, S.S. y SCHMID, F. [2011]: «Environmental and Firm Level Influences on Inter-Organizational Trust and SME Performance», Journal of Management Studies, 48, págs. 1.752-1.781.
GIBB, J.R. [1965]: «Climate for trust formation», en L.P. Bradfort, J.R. Gibb, y K.D. Benne (dirs.), T-group theory and laboratory method, New York: John Wiley, págs. 279-301.
GILBERT, D.; HALLIDAY, S.; HEAVEY, C. y MURPHY, E. [2011]: «Enhancing performance: Bringing trust commitment and motivation together in organizations», Journal of General Management, vol. 36 , n.º 3 , págs. 1-18.
GOH, S. y RICHARDS, G. [1997]: «Benchmarking the learning capability of organizations», European Management Journal, vol. 15, n.º 5, págs. 575-583.
GULATI, R. y NICKERSON, J. [2008]: «Interorganizational trust, governance choice, and exchange performance», Organization Science, 19 (2), págs. 1-21.
HAIR, H.F.; ANDERSON, R.E.; TATHAM, R.L. y BLACK, W.C. [1998]: Multivariate data analysis. London: Prentice Hall.
– [1999]: Multivariate data analysis (5.ª ed.), London: Prentice Hall.
– [2006]: Multivariate data analysis (6.ª ed.), London: Prentice Hall.
HEDBERG, B. [1981]: «How Organizations Learn and Unlearn», en P.C. Nystrom y W.H. Starbuck (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Design, London, págs. 8-27.
HELFAT, C.E. y RAUBITSCHEK, R. [2000]: «Product sequencing: Co-evolution of knowledge, capabilities and products», Strategic Management Journal, 21 (10-11), págs. 961-979.
HOE, S. [2007]: «Is interpersonal trust a necessary condition in organizational learning?», Journal of Organizational Transformation and Social Change, vol. 4, n.º 2, págs. 149-156.
HUEMER, L.; VON KROGH, G. y ROOS, J. [1998]: «Knowledge and the concept of trust», en G. von Krogh, J. Roos y D. Kleine (eds.), Knowing in firms: Understanding, managing and measuring knowledge, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, págs.123-145.
HURLEY, R. [2006]: «The decision of trust», Harvard Business Review, September.
JEREZ-GÓMEZ, P.; CÉSPEDES-LORENTE, J. y VALLE-CABRERA, R. [2005]: «Organizational learning capability: a proposal of measurement», Journal of Business Research, vol. 58, n.º 6, págs. 715-725.
JOHNSON-GEORGE, C. y SWAP, W. [1982]: «Measure of specific interpersonal trust: Construction and validation of a scale to assess trust in a specific other», Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 43 (6), págs. 1.306-1.317.
KATH, M.L.; MAGLEY, J.V. y MARMET, M. [2010]: «The role of organizational trust in safety climate’s influence on organizational outcomes», Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42, págs. 1.488-1.497.
KATSIKEAS, C.S.; SKARMEAS, D. y BELLO, D.C. [2009]: «Developing successful trust based international exchange relationships», Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 40, págs. 132-155.
KRAMER, R.M. [1999]: «Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions», Annual Review of Psychology, 50, págs. 569-598.
KRAMER, R.M. y LEWICKI, R.J. [2010]: «Repairing and enhancing trust: Approaches to reducing organizational trust deficits», The Academy of Management Annals, 4 (1), págs. 245-277.
KRISHNAN, R.; MARTIN, X. y NOORDERHAVEN, N.G. [2006]: «When does trust matter to alliance performance», The Academy of Management Journal, 49 (5), págs. 894-917.
LAGROSEN, S. y LAGROSEN, Y. [2012]: «Trust and quality management: Perspectives from marketing and organisational learning», Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 23: 1, págs. 13-26.
LAMSA, A. y PUCETAITE, R. [2006]: «Development of organizational trust among employees from a contextual perspective», Business Ethics: an European Review, vol. 15, págs. 130-141.
LUQUE, T. [1997]: Técnicas de análisis de datos en investigación de mercados, Ed. Pirámide.
MALHOTRA, N.K. [2007]: Marketing Research. An applied orientation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
MALLÉN, F. [2011]: Liderazgo altruista, organización orgánica y capacidad de aprendizaje organizativo: Una investigación empírica. Directores: R. Chiva y J. Alegre, Tesis doctoral inédita. Universidad Jaume I de Castellón. Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Económicas. Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Marketing.
MARDIA, K.V. [1970]: «Measures of multivariate skewness and kurtosis with applications», Biometrika, 57, págs. 519-530.
– [1974]: «Applications of some measures of multivariate skewness and kurtosis in testing normality and robustness studies», Sankhya, B36, págs. 115-128.
MAYER, R.C. y GAVIN, M.B. [2005]: «Trust in management and performance: Who minds the shop while the employees watch the boss?», Academy of Management Journal, 48, págs. 874-888.
MAYER, R.C.; DAVIS, J.H. y SCHOORMAN, F.D. [1995]: «An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust», Academy of Management Review, 20 (3), págs. 709-734.
MCCAULEY, D.P. y KUHNERT, K.W. [1992]: «A theoretical review and empirical investigation of employee trust in management», Public Administration Quarterly, vol. 16, n.º 2, págs. 265-285.
MCELROY, M.W. [2002]: «Social innovation capital», Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 3, n.º 1, págs. 30-39.
MCEVILY, B.; PERRONE, V. y ZAHEER, A. [2003]: «Trust as an organizing principle», Organization Science, 14, págs. 91-103.
MONTES, F.J.L.; MORENO, A.R. y MORALES, V.G. [2005]: «Influence of leadership support and teamwork cohesion on organizational learning, innovation and performance: an empirical examination», Technovation, 25, págs. 1.159-1.172.
NOOTEBOOM, B.; BERGER, H. y NOORDERHAVEN, N.G. [1997]: Effects of trust and governance on relational risk, Academy of Management Journal, 40 (2), págs. 308-338.
NUNNALLY, J.C. [1978]: Psychometric Theory, New York: McGraw-Hill.
NYHAN, R.C. y MARLOWE, H.A. Jr. [1997]: «Development and psychometric properties of the organizational trust inventory», Evaluation Review, 21 (5), págs. 614-635.
PATZELT, H. y SHEPHERD, D.A. [2008]: «The decision to persist in underperforming alliances: The role of trust and control», Journal of Management Studies, 45 (7), págs. 1.217-1.243.
PEDLER, M. [1997]: Action Learning in Practice (3.ª ed.), Brookfied: Glower Publishing.
POPPER, M. y LIPSHITZ, R. [2000]: «Organizational learning: mechanism, culture and feasibility», Management Learning, 31 (2), págs. 181-196.
POWELL, T.C. [1992]: «Organization alignment as competitive advantage», Strategic Management Journal, 13, págs. 119-134.
PRIETO, I.M. y REVILLA, E. [2006]: «Assessing the impact of learning capability on business performance: Empirical evidence from Spain», Management Learning, vol. 37 (4), págs. 499-522.
RICH, G.A. [1997]: «The sales manager as a role model: Effects on trust, job satisfaction, and performance of salespeople», Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (4), págs. 319-328.
ROUSSEAU, D.M.; SITKIN, S.B.; BURT, R.S. y CAMERER, C. [1998]: «Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust», Academy of Management Review, 23, págs. 393-404.
SALAMON, S.D. y ROBINSON, S.L. [2008]: «Trust that binds: The impact of collective felt trust on organizational performance», Journal of Applied Psychology, 93 (3), págs. 593-601.
SATORRA, A. y BENTLER, P.M. [1994]: «Corrections to test statistics and standard errors in covariance structure analisis», en A. von Eye, y C.C. Clogg, (eds.), Latent variables analysis: applications for developmental research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, págs. 399-419.
SCHOORMAN, F.; MAYER, R. y DAVIS, J. [2007]: «An integrative model of organizational trust: past, present and future», Academy of Management Review, vol. 32, págs. 344-354.
SCOTT, C.L. [1980]: «Interpersonal trust: A comparison of attitudinal and situational factors», Human Relations, 33, págs. 805-812.
SENGE, P. [1990]: The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, New York: Doubleday Currency.
SHOCKLEY-ZALABAK, P.; ELLIS, K. y WINOGRAD, G. [2000]: «Organizational trust: what it means, why it matters», Organizational Development Journal, vol. 14, págs. 35-48.
SONG, J.H.; KIM, H.M. y KOLB, J.A. [2009]: «The effect of learning organization culture on the relationship between interpersonal trust and organizational commitment», Human Resource Development Quarterly, 20, págs. 147-167.
SPECTOR, P. [1992]: Summated rating scale construction: An introduction, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
SVEIBY, K.E. y SIMONS, R. [2002]: «Collaborative Climate and Effectiveness of Knowledge Work – an Empirical Study», Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 6, n.º 5, 2002, págs. 420-433.
TAN, H. y LIM, A. [2009]: «Trust in co-workers and trust in organizations», The Journal of Psychology, vol. 143, n.º 1, págs. 45-66.
THOUMRUNGROJE, A. y TANSUHAJ, P. [2005]: «Entrepreneurial strategic postur, international diversification and firm performance», The Multinational Business Review, 13 (1), págs. 55-73.
TIPPINS, M.J. y SOHI, R.S. [2003]: «It competency and firm performance: Is organizational learning a missing link?», Strategic Management Journal, 24 (8), págs. 745-761.
TZAFRIR, SHAY S. [2005]: «The relationship between trust, HRM practices and firm performance», International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, págs. 1.600-1.622.
ULRICH, D.; JICK, T. y VON GLINOW, M.A. [1993]: «High-impact learning: Building and diffusing learning capability», Organizational Dynamics, 22 (2), págs. 52-79.
VALLE, R.; MARTÍN, F.; ROMERO, P.M. y DOLAN, S.L. [2000]: «Business strategy, work processes and human resource training: are they congruent?», Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, págs. 222-226.
WALL, T.D.; MICHIE, J.; PATTERSON, M.; WOOD, S.J.; SHEEHAN, M.; CLEGG, C.W. y WEST, M. [2004]: «On the validity of subjective measures of company performance», Personnel Psychology, 57 (1), págs. 95-118.
WEERAWARDENA, J. y O’CASS, A. [2004]: «Exploring the Characteristics of the Market-Driven Firms and Antecedents to Sustained Competitive Advantage», Industrial Marketing Management, 33, págs. 419- 428.
WEICK, K.E. y WESTLEY, F. [1996]: «Organizational learning: affirming an oxymoron», en S.R. Clegg, C. Hardy y W.R. Nord (eds.), Handbook of organizational studies, London: Sage, págs. 440-458.
WILLIAMS, L.J.; GAVIN, M. B. y HARTMAN, N.S. [2004]: «Structural equation modeling methods in strategy research: Applications and issues», en D.J. Jr. Ketchen, y D.D. Bergh (eds.), Research Methodology in Strategy and Management, vol. 1, Oxford: Elsevier, págs. 303-346.
WILLIAMSON, O.E. [1993]: «Calculativeness, Trust, and Economic Organization», Journal of Law and Economics, 36 (1), págs. 453-486.
ZAHEER, A.; MCEVILY, B. y PERRONE, V. [1998]: «Does trust matter? Exploring the effects of interorganizational and interpersonal trust on performance», Organization Science, 9, págs. 141-159.
ZAND, D.E. [1972]: «Trust and managerial problem solving», Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, págs. 229-239.
ZHANG, A.Y.; TSUI, A.S.; SONG, L.J.; LI, C.P. y JIA, L.D. [2008]: «How do I trust thee? The employee-organization relationship, supervisory support, and middle manager trust in the organization», Human Resource Management, 47 (1), págs. 111-132.
ZOLLO, M. y WINTER, S.G. [2002]: «Deliberate learning and the evolution of dynamic capabilities», Organization Science, vol. 13, págs. 339-351.