The Power Of A Learning Culture

To survive and thrive in an increasingly turbulent global competitive environment, theoretical literature suggests that U.S. manufacturers must acquire and maintain three strategic capabilities: the ability to quickly learn what the customers want; the ability to deliver responsive products and services satisfying customer wants and customized to customer specifications; and the ability to satisfy customer wants profitably and in ways that customers perceive as more valuable than the available competing alternatives. This confirmatory research used structural equation modeling to test five hypotheses concerning four main constructs: 'organizational learning culture', 'strategic responsiveness capability', 'mass customization capability', and 'value to customer performance'. This research suggests that an organizational learning culture enables the strategic responsiveness and mass customization capabilities that are necessary for achieving sustained value to customer performance.