Abstract:

Researchers have increasingly noted that organizational learning may be crucial for resolving the dilemmas resulting from increasingly dynamic market environment. However, previous research on enterprise organizational learning remains limited, especially in the context of emerging market such as China. Specifically, there are several questions need to be further investigated. First, prior literature on the exact construct of organizational learning has not reached a consensus, though most researchers in this field consider organizational learning as consisting of multiple, distinct sub-processes. Second, albeit extant studies increase our understanding of the strategic antecedents that affect organizational learning, issues on how exactly different strategic orientations influence organizational learning is still under-explored. Third, considering the positive outcomes of organizational learning, scholarly interest in identifying the effects of organizational learning has greatly increased over the past couple of decades. Nevertheless, the mediation effects of organizational learning on the connections between different enterprise strategic orientations and competitive capabilities are rather unclear. Based on previous research published on top peer-reviewed management journals, we referred to the models presented in these articles to identify six sub-processes that collectively appear to capture the entire learning cycle. Specifically, many scholars agree that organizational learning begins with some form of knowledge acquisition. The knowledge is then distributed across the enterprise. Knowledge interpretation and knowledge integration are typically followed in a sequence. The process concludes as knowledge is stored in organizational memory and subsequently gets exploited. We note that although the six sub-processes constitute an integrated organizational learning process, exceptions may occur given the research context is specialized in the technological micro- and small-sized enterprises in China. Accordingly, this paper aims to describe each of the aforementioned six sub-processes in more detail, and at the same time briefly discuss some key interrelationships and feedback loops among these different sub-processes. Moreover, regarding strategic orientations that influence organizational learning, several studies in this field identify three prominent strategic orientations, including technological orientation, market orientation and resource orientation, as critical determinants of organizational learning as a whole, though the empirical evidence is still missing.In summary, this study primarily focuses on the following three issues, including identifying the construct of organization learning of technological micro- and small-sized enterprises, exploring the influence of different strategic orientations (e.g., technological orientation, market orientation and resource orientation) on organization learning, and revealing the mediation effects of organization learning on the relationship between strategic orientations and competitive capabilities of technological micro- and small-sized enterprises.Based onthe data collected from 364 technological micro- and small-sized enterprises in Foshan, Guangdong, China, we firstly conducted a higher-order factor analysis. The results indicate the organization learning of technological micro- and small-sized enterprises merely including knowledge acquisition, knowledge interpretation, knowledge integration and knowledge exploitation, which is different from a general framework of organization learning. Secondly, the results from path analysis indicate that both technological and market orientation have a significantly positive effect on organization learning. Finally, organization learning not only have a positively direct influence on enterprise competitive capabilities, but also fully mediate the influence of market orientation on competitive capabilities and partially mediate the influence of technological orientation on competitive capabilities.This study advances existing literature on organizational learning and micro- and small-sized enterprise management in at least four important ways. First, this study contributes to the literature on technological micro- and small-sized enterprise organizational learning by offering a detailed framework of the relationship between key strategic orientations to organizational learning and the individual sub-processes of learning. Achieving this kind of fine-grained framework is vital to understanding how the strategic orientations exert their influence and, therefore, why enterprises may differ in their learning and in their final outcomes such as competitive capabilities.Second, the empirical results shows that the construct of organization learning of technological micro- and small -sized enterprises is more concise and simple than the general framework resulted from the research on big companies or enterprises from Western counties. Hence, this research identifies the unique characteristics of organizational learning of technological micro- and small-sized enterprises and furthers our understandings on organizational learning of enterprises with different sizes and from different countries.Third, this study further contributes to the effects of organizational learning on competitive capability of technological micro- and small-sized enterprises. It also echoes the researchers’ call for the examination of the organizational learning from the firm-level capability perspective.Finally, this article theorizes and tests the role that organizational learning serves as a firm-specific mediating mechanism between the three strategic orientations and competitive capability. By confirming the effects of strategic orientations and the mediation effects of organizational learning, this study provides new insights into how organizational learning leverages the benefits of different strategic orientations in order to enhance micro- and small-sized enterprise competitive capability.Additionally, the findings of this study have important implications for managerial practices of micro- and small -sized enterprise in China. First, the research results can help managers of micro- and small -sized enterprise recognize particular sub-processes of organizational learning that need improvement, identify strategic antecedents that have a direct impact on organizational learning, and deploy certain strategic orientation change strategies to stimulate their organizations’ learning activities. Second, the findings indicate that managers of micro- and small -sized enterprise must be sensitive to the effects of organizational learning that may be enhanced under certain strategic orientations. Finally, these results also enable managers of micro- and small -sized enterprise to take advantage of organizational learning during the transferring of technological and market orientations to competitive capability.

Key words: technological small and micro-sized enterprise, organization learning, strategic orientation, competitive capabilities, mediation effect