Organizational learning in cleaner production among Mexican supply networks

Cleaner Production was heralded as a promising concept for improving the environmental performance; however it has largely focused on technical aspects, which has limited its expected implementation. This article integrates organizational studies into cleaner production. A Mexican Sustainable Supply Chain Programme designed to improve environmental performance of small- and medium-sized firms provided the empirical setting for analysis. Organizational learning in cleaner production was measured by accessing differential performance among suppliers in their implementation of cleaner production projects. The findings revealed how the organizational characteristics, such as supply sector, firm size, and type of supplier, influenced organizational learning of preventive environmental practices in small firms. The participating managers' characteristics had substantial influence on the learning levels within and among firms; managers who combined both technical and administrative backgrounds fostered catalyzed higher learning levels among their employees than those with single technical, or single administrative, profiles. The conclusions of this study highlight that organizational learning is a crucial element of successful implementation of cleaner production. The recommendations emphasized that a blended learning method and supply networks are valuable dissemination approaches for stimulating of the implementation of cleaner production through organizational learning in small firms in emerging markets. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.