The Relationship Between Interorganizational Networks, Organizational Learning Capability, and Organizational Innovativeness: The Case of 5-Star Hotel Enterprises in Ankara

Abstract

Purpose – In this study, it is aimed to determine the relationships between interorganizational networks, organizational learning capability, and organizational innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach – The data were obtained from five-star hotel enterprises located in Ankara that hold a tourism establishment certificate. Within the context of interorganizational networks, the advice network among these enterprises was examined. The hotels' centrality levels regarding their positions within the advice network, as well as their levels of organizational learning capability and organizational innovativeness, were determined. To determine the enterprises' centrality levels, social network analysis was conducted, whereas correlation analysis was performed to identify the relationships among the variables.
Findings – According to the analysis results, it was determined that there is a positive and high-level relationship between organizational learning capability and organizational innovativeness. However it was observed that no significant relationships were found between the hotels' centralities and their learning capability, nor between the hotels' centralities and their innovativeness.
Discussion – It is considered that the competitive environment in which enterprises operate shapes the relationships they establish. That said, the literature shows that various factors related to the overall structure of the network, the actors, and the relationships are associated with innovativeness and with various organizational behaviors or outputs. While no study was found in the literature, within the context of the tourism sector, that addresses the relationships between position within the network and organizational learning capability, only one study was found that examines the relationships between position and organizational innovativeness. Accordingly, within the context of the tourism sector, various studies may be carried out within networks that involve different actors and relationships and have different structures to examine the relationships between position within the network and organizational learning capability and the relationships between position within the network and organizational innovativeness. In a similar way, it would be beneficial to increase the number of studies carried out by examining the relationship between organizational learning capability and organizational innovativeness across different samples within the context of the tourism sector.