The concept of the learning organization has received considerable
attention in the scholarly literature because superior learning processes
have been heralded as a source of competitive advantage. Organizations
that embrace strategies consistent with the learning organization are
thought to achieve improved performance. Yet few empirical studies have
examined the relationship between the learning organization concept and
firms’ financial performance. To assess this association, the authors
obtained managerial responses to the Watkins and Marsick Dimensions of
the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ©) instrument along with
both perceptual and objective measures of firms’ financial performance.
Results suggest a positive association between the learning organization
concept and firms’ financial performance. The article discusses implications
for research and practice.