Organizational learning culture and business intelligence systems of health-care organizations in an emerging economy

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role of business intelligence systems (BIS) in the relationship between organizational learning culture and organizational performance in the health-care context. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was applied to identify the hypothesized relationships. Data were obtained from a survey of 217 mid- and top-level managers of health-care organizations in Bangladesh. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings attest to the effectiveness of the mediating role of BIS in the relationship between organizational learning culture and organizational performance within health-care organizations. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed. Research limitations/implications: The study data were collected from a single country, which made generalization difficult. Further research should be carried out to replicate the present study with different organizational cultural variables and organizational outcomes, such as patient satisfaction. Practical implications: This study provides a clear direction for hospital managers to invest more resources in an effective learning culture, to be positively mediated by BIS and to eventually enhance their hospitals’ performance. In addition, this study also suggests that hospital managers should focus on building a knowledge-based learning culture, to effectively use the information provided by BIS. Originality/value: Despite the prior study on the applications of BIS and their value to an organization, little is known about the impact of organizational learning culture on BIS in health-care organizations. The findings give support to the argument that organizational learning culture plays an important role in BIS that, in turn, affects business performance.