The Effects of Driving Forces and the Inf luence of Organizational Variables on Learning Organizations and their Performance: A Case Study of the Software Development Industry in Thailand

Abstract

Organizational development professionals have continuously stressed the need for organizational changes to remain competitive for any business (private, public, or nonprof it), stating that the need for change is driven by external and internal environmental forces and that organizational changes must be planned, whereby the changes and desired outcomes are clearly established. The concept of the learning organization is one of the total change strategies available to organizations of all industries to be utilized in steering through the challenges thrown into the path of survival and success.

The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) the effects of external and internal driving forces of change on planned organizational changes with respect to learning perspectives; (2) the relationships between interacting organizational variables (under the inf luence of driving forces of change); and (3) the effects of interaction of organizational variables and learning outcomes on perceived levels of organizational performance.

A theoretical model and a survey instrument were developed to assess and validate all of the aforementioned points in a real world situation (Thai Software Industry) as a case study, where learning and knowledge are essential components. The results indicated that the driving forces of change do have an indirect effect on learning outcome and organizational performance of an organization mediated by organizational variables, as theorized in the conceptual framework.