Empirical Study on Organizational Learning as Relational Governance

This chapter is devoted to presenting the results of an empirical study. The purpose of the study was to investigate the empirical application of organizational learning as relational governance. The case study methodology was used. A multinational company constituted the case being studied. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six general managers of subsidiaries in different continents. The purpose of the study was to explore (1) the company's stakeholders and the resources and interests they invest; (2) the governance structure (which refers to the organizational entity in its own right); (3) whether and how the steps of the learning model presented take place in the company and (4) the impact of learning on company performance. The study provides evidence for the concept of the organization as a nexus of resources and interests of stakeholders, and for the existence of an entity that transcends the parts of the organizational system. The study also provides some evidence for the applicability of the model in the empirical reality of the organization. Regarding the impact on performance, the results show that relational learning can help in enabling organizational KPIs to be met.