The Record Company as a Learning Structure: Identifying Performance and Learning Inhibitors

David Herrera
Belmont University

Abstract

This study examines the variables related to organizational learning within record companies. Indie, major-indie, and major labels report both negative and positive elements linked to leadership, dialogue, empowerment, team learning, and inquiry—all of which affect reported organizational performance. The data suggests that performance and learning may be reflective of the constraints of size, structure, and leadership. With respect to organizational size, indie labels foster the highest learning environment, and this propensity for learning decreases as the labels grow in size. Larger labels also indicate growing deficiencies in embedded systems to transfer organizational knowledge, employee empowerment, and system connectedness to the environment or market. The implication is that managers should intervene in order to foster a robust learning environment that might be better able to adapt to change in the marketplace—especially as the market environment becomes unstable or the organization grows in size.

Keywords: record label, record company, indie label, record industry, music industry, learning organization, strategy, organizational structure, performance inhibitors, Senge, disruption, innovation

Herrera, David. “The Record Company as a Learning Structure: Identifying Performance and Learning Inhibitors.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 15, no. 1 (2015): 121-146. https://doi.org/10.25101/15.6

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