Resumo

The world has been experiencing deindustrialisation as a natural, gradual, and virtuous process, a result of economic development arising from increased productivity in the manufacturing industry and sustainability concerns. However, in Brazil, this phenomenon is associated with negative causes, such as the loss of competitiveness on exports, confirmed by the accelerated increase in primary goods exports and the expansion of imports of capital goods, consumer goods and industrial inputs, which adversely affect the productive chains (FIESP, 2019).

This study intends to analyse the influence of OLC on the innovation performance and firm performance of organisations belonging to four industrial sectors of the state of Santa Catarina, using multi-group variables. Recent empirical research in the field of innovation management employs various forms of structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis.

The rationale is based on three constructs; OLC, Innovative Performance (IP), and Firm Performance (FP). Five dimensions formed the OLC; Experimentation; Interaction with the External Environment; Risk; Dialogue, and Participatory Decision Making (Chiva et al., 2007); the IP by the Efficiency and Effectiveness dimensions (Alegre et al., 2009; OECD, 2005), and the FP by a single dimension (Lopez et al., 2005). In addition, several studies indicate that the sectorial characteristics of the industry influence organizational learning and innovation development and its results.

The research is quantitative and survey. For data collection, a questionnaire delivered to managers was used. Assertions were constructed using a 7-point Likert scale. The total sample consisted of 318 organizations. Of these, 101 export, 173 do not export, and 44 did not respond. The PLS-PM (Partial Least Squares Path Modeling) algorithm was used for data analysis. Choosing this method is appropriate when the research is between the need to test a theory and predict patterns (Hair Jr, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2016)

Results show that OLC influences innovation performance, which in turn impacts on firm performance. In the heterogeneities analysis, it was found significant differences based on the industry type, although the results remained unaltered for exporters and non-exporters.

The results supported hypotheses 1 and 2. The direct relations between the OLC and innovation performance; and innovation performance and firm performance were confirmed. Hypothesis 3, testing the direct influence of OLC on firm performance was not supported by data analysis. Previous research has generally focused on manufacturing industries without taking into account the implications of dealing with heterogeneous technological profiles.

Alegre, J., & Chiva, R. (2008). Assessing the impact of organizational learning capability on product innovation performance: An empirical test. Technovation, 28(6), 315–326. Gomes, G., & Wojahn, R. M. (2017). Organizational learning capability, innovation and performance: study in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES). Revista de Administração (São Paulo), 52(2), 163–175. Lopez, S., Peon, J. M., & Ordas, C. J. (2005). Organizational learning as a determining factor in business performance. The Learning Organization, 12(3), 227–245.