The influence of organizational culture on organizational learning, incremental innovation, and teacher performance

Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of organizational culture on organizational learning, incremental innovation, and teacher performance in junior high schools in Jember Regency, Indonesia, and to test the role of organizational learning and incremental innovation in explaining teacher performance. This research employed an explanatory quantitative design using survey data collected from 191 science teachers selected through proportional simple random sampling from a population of 364 teachers. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The findings show that organizational culture has a significant positive effect on organizational learning and teacher performance, while its effect on incremental innovation is not significant. Organizational learning has a significant positive effect on incremental innovation and teacher performance, and incremental innovation also has a significant positive effect on teacher performance. These results indicate that teacher performance is strengthened not only by a supportive organizational culture but also by the school’s capacity to foster learning and implement gradual innovation in teaching practices and school processes. The study contributes to the literature by positioning incremental innovation as a mediator in the educational context, particularly in resource-constrained junior high schools where radical innovation may be less feasible. Practically, school leaders should strengthen adaptive organizational culture, encourage continuous learning, and support low-cost, incremental innovations to improve teacher performance and responsiveness to educational change.