Title: The effect of unlearning on organisational learning behaviour and performance in construction contracting organisations

Authors: Peter S.P. Wong; Manuel Demertjis; Mary Hardie; Chuen-yiu Lo

Addresses: School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia, 360 Swanston Street (Bldg 8. Lvl 8), PO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001 VIC, Australia ' School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney, Building XB, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South 2750, NSW, Australia ' School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney, Building XB, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South 2750, NSW, Australia ' School of Engineering, Griffith University, Gold Coast, 4222, QLD, Australia

Abstract: The process of 'unlearning' may prove, paradoxically, to be a critical factor in enabling successful learning behaviour in organisations. For this study a conceptual model of the relationship between unlearning and organisational learning was developed and arranged in a structural equation modelling (SEM) format. A survey was conducted of 112 construction industry participants in Australia to rate the significance of the identified factors. The results indicate a strong link between unlearning and performance improvement through organisational learning in the construction industry. The findings imply that if construction organisations actively practice unlearning strategies, they could be more capable of learning to enhance performance. This study contributes to the construction project management research by providing possible reasons leading to the organisations being incapable of learning. It is believed that the findings can provide valuable insights for management wishing to devise ways of enhancing a contracting organisation's performance.

Keywords: unlearning; organisational learning; structural equation modelling; SEM; construction industry; Australia; learning behaviour; building industry; performance improvement; project management; firm performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2014.065256

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2014 Vol.6 No.3, pp.197 - 214

Received: 27 Jul 2011
Accepted: 23 Nov 2011
Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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