LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES, ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF TOURISM FIRMS: EVIDENCE FROM A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how leadership competencies (cognitive, interpersonal, and results-oriented competencies) and four dimensions of organizational learning (knowledge acquisition, knowledge distribution, knowledge interpretation, and organizational memory) contribute to organizational performance of tourism firms. Design/Methodology – Data were collected from leaders working at various tourism establishments in Vietnam – a developing country in the Asia. Smart-PLS software was used to perform structural equation modelling of 638 valid responses. Findings – The results showed that among the three proposed leadership competencies, only managers’ result orientation exerted a significant influence on organizational performance. Knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing were fully influenced by the three leadership competencies, while knowledge interpretation and organizational memory were facilitated by the cognitive and outcome-oriented competencies. Knowledge acquisition and knowledge interpretation were positively related to organizational performance. The mediating effect of organizational learning was supported by the existence of knowledge acquisition. Originality of the research – Although the topics of leadership competencies, organizational learning, and organizational performance have received a great concern among worldwide academia, there is scarce research examining the relationships among these three phenomena together. This paper is among the first study that offers a more comprehensive model of the relationship between these domains.