Evaluating the impact of organizational learning on organizational performance through organizational innovation as a mediating variable: evidence from Iranian construction companies

Construction companies are bedevilled with several profound challenges that hamper the efficient performance and operation of the organizations. Extant studies have reported on organizational learning as an effective strategy for improving organizational performance. However, there is a dearth of studies in the construction industry context, especially from the perspective of developing countries where construction companies are on the disadvantaged side of the digital and economic divide. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the impact of organizational learning on organizational performance through the mediating variable of organizational innovation in construction companies based in Iran. Data was collected via a mixed approach, which involved an empirical questionnaire survey and a Delphi survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis, and a PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) model was proposed for execution. The study revealed that organizational learning has an impact on organizational performance, organizational innovation affects organizational performance, and organizational learning directly affects organizational performance in the study context. It presents an empirical model to demonstrate that the right innovations and their appropriate applications can improve the organizational performance and operational efficiency of organizations, which would be of profound benefit to various key stakeholders engaged in the construction industry.