Top 10 cited 2007-2010!

I am both proud and happy to announce that the paper Škerlavaj, M., Štemberger, M.I., Škrinjar, R., & Dimovski, V. (2007): Organizational learning culture—the missing link between business process change and organizational performance, International Journal of Production Economics, 106(2):346-367 was awarded as Top 10 most cited papers in the journal between year 2007 and 2010! Another great confirmation and inducement for future work.

Book chapter published with Springer

152260_AOIS_King_SoftcoverFresh from the oven, a book chapter Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V. (2009): Organizational Learning and Performance in Two National Cultures: A Multi-group Structural Equation Modeling Approach was published in a book King, W. (2009): Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management, Annals of Information Systems Series, Springer.

This chapter examines the impact of organizational learning on organizational performance in two countries. Using a multi-group structural equation modeling approach on data from 203 Slovenian and 202 Croatian companies, it tests the impact of the organizational learning process on financial and non-financial performance (NFP). The results show consistent findings between both countries under investigation (which vary only in terms of effect strength). First, the organizational learning process connects information processing with behavioral and cognitive changes. Second, organizational learning has a very strong direct impact on NFP (reflecting performance from employee, supplier, and customer points of view). Third, the effect of organizational learning on financial performance (measured in terms of return on assets and value added per employee) is also positive and strong, but indirect and exhibited through NFP. Finally, no direct effect on financial performance has been observed in any of the two cases. This paper advances the theory and practice of organizational learning by uncovering one specific aspect of the context in which organizational learning processes occur. It is the first of its kind to control for the contextual variables of national culture and economic development regarding the organizational learning – performance link.

Transactional and transformational leadership impacts on organizational learning

We have just published a new SSCI ranked article – Zagoršek, H., Dimovski, V. Škerlavaj, M. (2009): Transactional and Transformational Leadership Impacts on Organizational Learning, Journal of East European Management Studies, 14(2): 144-165. Here is the abstract:

This study empirically relates two important areas of management research: the full-range theory of leadership and the organizational learning process. Specifically, this contribution addresses three issues: (1) the impact of transformational leadership and (2) transactional leadership on the organizational learning process, and (3) whether the influence of transformational leadership is stronger than the influence of a transactional type of leadership. For measurement purposes, the article combines the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) with the Organizational Learning and Information Management Processes (OLIMP) measurement instrument. Building upon data from 753 employees in Slovenia at the organizational-unit level and applying a structural equation modelling methodological framework, the results indicate that transformational leadership has a strong impact on all four constructs of organizational learning: information acquisition; information distribution; information interpretation; and behavioural and cognitive changes. A direct impact is evident only regarding information acquisition and behavioural and cognitive changes, while leadership styles have an indirect effect on information distribution and information interpretation. The magnitude of the total effect ranges from .61 to .79. Interestingly, contingent reward leadership has an equally strong and positive impact on organizational learning, with effect magnitudes similar to those for transformational leadership. This finding provides empirical confirmation of the contingent perspective on leadership and learning (Vera/Crossan 2006) which claims that the most effective strategic leaders will be those best able to function in both transformational and transactional modes, depending upon the situation.

In memoriam: We would like to dedicate this article to Hugo Zagoršek (1977-2008), who tragically passed away shortly after the completion of this work.

Our paper in Science direct Top 25

I’m happy (and a bit proud, must admit) to announce, that the paper Organizational learning culture-the missing link between business process change and organizational performance, International Journal of Production Economics, Volume 106, Issue 2, 1 April 2007, Pages 346-367, co-authored by Škerlavaj, M. (that’s me :-), Štemberger, M.I., Škrinjar, R. and Dimovski, V. is holding its position among Science direct Top 25 downloaded papers in the IJPE journal. Even more so, while IJPE is indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded, has an impact factor of 1.183 (for 2006, which is an significant increase from 1.008 in 2005) and among top 25% of management journals.