Organisational learning capability, product innovation performance and export intensity

The purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete picture of the relationship between organizational learning capability (OLC) and export intensity, by taking into consideration the mediating effect of innovation performance. Based on expectations from the ResourceBased View and International Marketing, structural equation modeling was used to assess simultaneously the links between OLC, innovation performance, and export intensity. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, perceptual and objective data were collected from 182 Italian and Spanish ceramic tiles producers. This study shows that firms with a higher OLC tend to be more innovative, and for this reason, they are more likely to export a higher share of their production. Because we have carried out a single industry analysis, caution should be used in generalizing from these findings. Our study contributes to the international marketing literature by supporting the perspective that a firm’s export intensity depends on its innovation performance, by also taking into account that the latter is affected by OLC. We thus provide a better understanding on the links between two internal key antecedents to export intensity. Organizational learning facilitating factors should be taken into account when setting innovation and export objectives. Managers can foster the enhancement of such factors, in the knowledge that these are likely to have an impact on innovation and export intensity. This paper connects organizational learning, innovation and exports on a simultaneous basis. Findings highlight a range of strategic benefits resulting from enhancing OLC.