Unpacking the relationships between learning mechanisms, culture types, and plant performance

This study examines relationships between two learning mechanisms—conceptual learning and operational learning—and plant performance. It examines the individual and mediation effects of these two learning mechanisms on plant performance. It also examines the effects of individualism/collectivism cultural dimension on learning mechanisms. Based on a survey sample of 162 manufacturing plants, results of this study provide empirical evidence for the positive individual effects of operational learning and conceptual learning on plant performance. Further, operational learning mediates the effect of conceptual learning on plant performance. More interestingly, this study found that the indirect effect of conceptual learning is stronger under a collectivism culture than individualism culture. We conclude this study by discussing theoretical and managerial implications pertaining to the effects of learning mechanisms and cultural context on plant performance.