Measuring the Impact of Learning Organization on Job Satisfaction and Individual Performance in Greek Advertising Sector

Fierce competition, rapid evolution of information technology, economic uncertainty and ceaselessly shifting consumer trends, have brought about for contemporary business world a new era where the major source of competitiveness lies in a company's ability to transform into a learning organization, an organization which constantly generates, diffuses and integrates new knowledge. This assertion is even more critical for advertising companies, typical examples of Knowledge Intensive Firms (KIFs), for which ideas and knowledge constitute the key production resources. Due to dramatic decline in Greek firms’ profitability in the last seven years, these companies are required to enhance both individual and organizational performance by promoting knowledge-based work and highly focusing on their workforce constant learning advancement. This paper explores the pattern of learning organization in association with two principal work outcomes, job satisfaction and job performance. A questionnaire survey has been conducted, based on a sample of 251 staff members who are employed by 49 advertising agencies. Findings have brought to light that learning-oriented operation is a crucial predictor of both employee job satisfaction and individual performance, while job satisfaction proved to be a mediator of the relationship between learning organization and job performance. Conclusions have been drawn and practical implications have been suggested.