Institutional learning in universities: a theoretical model

This study aims to review the existing literature on the concepts of diversity, institutional learning, and academic performance to determine, from a theoretical perspective, possible relationships between them. A set of hypotheses is postulated that allow building an integrative model through analytical induction. The results show that academic performance (teaching, research, and community engagement) are determined by institutional learning: knowledge acquisition, information distribution and interpretation, and organizational memory development. Institutional learning is, in turn, impacted by the diversity (gender, roles, expertise, and leadership) of the universities' management team. It is concluded that managing the relationships between these dimensions would have the potential to strengthen the universities’ academic processes and results, and that, in the face of profound, unstoppable, and accelerated changes of today, institutional learning would be a key factor in the adaptation processes of universities.