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Breitkreutz, Dominik David (2026) The relationship of organisational culture and organisational learning: a phenomenological case study using the example of a German railway company. PhD thesis, University of Gloucestershire. doi:10.46289/FNMD3642
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Abstract
This study examines the relationship between organisational culture and organisational learning using the example of a German private railway company. Against the backdrop of the growing importance of knowledge management and continuous development, the thesis analyses how cultural frameworks can either foster or hinder learning processes within organisations. The aim is to develop a theoretical understanding of organisational learning in a hybrid corporate environment—privately operated but with public responsibilities. The study is based on a qualitative, phenomenological research design and employs hermeneutic, transcendental, and existential approaches to capture employees’ subjective experiences and interpretations regarding culture and learning. Through semistructured interviews conducted as part of a single case study, the research investigates how organisational culture shapes both individual and collective learning. The evaluation was carried out by means of qualitative content analysis, supplemented by interpretative phenomenological methods. The research process placed particular emphasis on ethics, anonymity, and reflexivity. The study analysed how formal structures and informal practices influence learning capacity. The results show that organisational culture is crucial for the development and sustainability of learning processes – especially informal rules, explicit knowledge, and a culture of dealing with errors. The thesis develops a practice-oriented concept for promoting organisational learning, specifically designed for public transport companies in a competitive environment. The proposed framework offers a structured approach to linking informal and formal learning processes and to establishing sustainable learning cultures in hybrid organisations. The analysis highlights that organisational learning requires structural anchoring to remain effective during periods of transformation and provides practical recommendations for leaders in the public and semi-public sector.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | |||||||||
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| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences | |||||||||
| Depositing User: | Rhiannon Goodland | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 21 Sep 2026 15:06 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 21 Sep 2026 15:06 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16531 |
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