Benefiting from Customer and Competitor Knowledge: A Market-Based Approach to Organizational Learning

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the organizational learning, market orientation and learning orientation concepts, highlight the importance of market knowledge to organizational learning and recommend ways in adopting a market-based approach to organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The extant organizational learning and market orientation literature was reviewed, and the salient points on how adopting a market-based approach to organizational learning promotes competitive advantage are discussed. Findings: Organizational behavior scholars have devoted a lot attention on the factors and conditions affecting organizational learning. The end outcome, of course, is to improve organizational performance. Marketing scholars, on the other, focused on the effect of market orientation on organizational performance. Regardless of the different perspectives, both disciplines agree that an organization's long-term survival depends on its ability to generate new knowledge and continuously learn from the external environment. Practical implications: The paper offers recommendations to practicing managers ways to combine market and learning orientation for organizational learning which can lead to sustained competitive advantage. Originality/value: The paper provides a fresh perspective on how organizational learning is enhanced by acquiring, disseminating and utilizing market knowledge that is externally focused on customers and competitors.