Learning styles and organization structure: an exploratory study

Abstract

This study examines the association between organization stmcture and learning style in a sample of 126 managers from southern and westem lndia Leaming Styles have been examined earlier for their implications on typical preferences in education occupations and Jungian personality typologies III previous research entrepreneurial postures were validated on outcome variables such as financial effectiveness and finn perfonnance Entrepreneurial postures themselves were operationalised on the strategic posture of finns Mechanistic Structures have been known to possess bureaucratic features of tight control and restricted communications whereas Organic Structures have been known to offer looser and infonnal employee associations allowing for expertise and personal growth opportunities Organic Structures have been known to accompany Entrepreneurial Strategic Postures The processes lmderlying these features have not been empirically tested on Organization Structures Experiential Learning as process as opposed to outcome or content definitions of learning or strategy management is suspected to foster Organization Structure and Entrepreneurial Orientation EO of organizations The learning and development perspective of Kolb s experiential learning theory using Kolb s Learning Styles Instrument was used to study the learning mode adaptation of respondents in their structural situations An Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale that includes a structural dimension to measure Autonomy was developed and operationalised on the Strategic Posture and Organization Structure Scales used in this study The EO construct has been modeled on the realization of EO as process as