Establishing the Effects of Organizational Learning on Company Performance in the Road Haulage Business in Zimbabwe

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 70.0, , course: Dissertation, language: English, abstract: This study was carried out to examine the nature of the relationship that exists between organizational learning and organizational performance of Zimbabwe's road haulage businesses. Literature on organizational learning and organizational performance was reviewed and a conceptual framework for the purpose of the study formulated. Information acquisition, information interpretation, information sharing, information quality and behaviour and cognitive changes were used to measure organizational learning. To measure organizational performance the researcher used financial, employee and market dimensions of company performance. Quantitative research methodology was used where data was gathered using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was carefully designed to collect the right data about organizational learning and organizational performance in the haulage business sector for analysis. A total of 120 questionnaires was administered where 105 were completed and returned. Out of the 105 questionnaires that were returned 2 had missing responses and these were discarded from data analysis. Thus, the study response rate was 85.8%. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyse data. Descriptive statistics i.e. arithmetic means and standard deviations were used to describe how organizational learning is practised in the haulage business sector in Zimbabwe. Inferential statistics in the form of correlation and regression analysis were used to test answer research questions and to test research hypothesis. The main conclusion reached was that organizational learning is a partial predictor of company performance in Zimbabwe's haulage sector. Thus, the study partially confirms the study hypothesis. Based on the study conclusions, the study recommends that managers in the haulage business in Zimbabwe focus organizational learning practises to enhance business performance. Haulage companies' limited resources can be channelled towards enhancing information acquisition, information quality and individual behaviour and cognitive changes by individuals as these were found to positively contribute to company performance.