Human Resource Management as a Determining Factor in Organizational Learning

The role of human resource management in learning organizations has been discussed by a number of researchers. It is suggested that some of the more traditional personnel functions of HR practitioners may be tailored to encourage a focus on learning and thus to help achieve organizational goals. However, there is a lack of empirical studies that explore the relationship between human resource management and organizational learning. This article aims to address this shortcoming. More specifically, the purpose of this article is to analyse the relation between four human resources practices (hiring, training, compensation and decision-making) and organizational learning. The hypotheses proposed were tested on a sample of 195 Spanish companies using the structural equation modelling technique. The results support that selective hiring, strategic training and employee participation in decision-making positively influence organizational learning.