Organisational Learning-Examining the Construct in Indian Academia

The purpose of this research is to empirically examine organisational learning behaviour and test Templeton et al.’s (2002) instrument in Indian academia.

A 28-item questionnaire was administered to generate responses from 200 respondents comprising of academic and non-academic staff across four zones in India using 5-point Likert-type scale. This study tests the validity and reliability of the instrument using exploratory factor analysis, known group analysis and varimax rotation technique. The reliability is tested using Cronbach's alpha.

This study provides an empirically tested instrument that can be used for examining organisational learning in other academic institutions such as universities and independent stand-alone institutions. Results suggest that institutions in academia exhibit organisational learning behaviour. The combination of factor analysis and known group analysis provides empirical evidence that organisational learning measure (OLM) exhibits acceptable construct validity. Academic institutions can incorporate system thinking and encourage autonomy in functioning and decision-making.

This is a deliberate attempt to investigate and explain organisational learning in academia, a sector that is expected to witness change and expansion in future. The measurement instrument used here has undergone empirical testing in a different cultural context and different industry. Based on empirical evidence, the decision to delete two items from the original instrument has restructured the instrument with redefined dimensions that explain organisational learning.