Consequences of organizational learning in commercial business relationships

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Organisational Learning (OL) affects satisfaction and loyalty in commercial business relationships. The unit of analysis considered in the theoretical framework of the study is the dyadic relationship that manufacturing companies keep with their main distributors. For the data analyses of structural equation modelling was employed a sample of Spanish firms. The empirical findings reveal that the manufacturer’s OL may be an antecedent of the results achieved in relational exchanges. In this regard, a high level of OL in the manufacturer may increase the level of satisfaction of its main distributor and may also indirectly affect its level of loyalty. It is also shown that OL directly enhances the manufacturer’s business performance. The study limitations are those typically associated with the use of survey-based research. Finally, results indicate that common method variance was not a problem in this study.