Organisational learning is often presented as one way in which firms may re
spond to increasingly competitive market conditions by managing their knowl
edge assets in more effective ways. Although theoretically and conceptually
plausible, there is limited empirical evidence, particularly from smaller
firms, in support of this view. This study aims to provide some evidence th
at links organisational learning and performance. Extant theory suggests th
at organisational learning may range from a passive orientation (working wi
thin a current paradigm) to an active orientation (questioning a current pa
radigm) at both the individual and the collective levels. This study examin
es the learning orientations of 300 smaller manufacturing and service firms
in terms of an active-passive learning construct. The results suggest that
higher-growth manufacturing firms have a more active learning orientation.
These firms make greater use of knowledge assets than do their lower growt
h counterparts, and this may have important implications for the management
of learning in smaller manufacturing firms. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.
All rights reserved.