How types of organizational culture and technological capabilities contribute to organizational learning Taghreed Al Dari, Fauzia Jabeen and Matloub Hussain College of Business, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Dana Al Khawaja Department of Pharmacy, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – This study aims to develop a theoretical framework of the impact of clan and hierarchy cultures and knowledge technological capabilities on organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 693 employees working in knowledge management centers in various law and enforcement units in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships between the variables. Findings – The findings show that the clan culture had a significant negative effect on organizational learning. However, hierarchy culture and knowledge technological capabilities had a significant positive impact in predicting organizational learning behavior. Research limitations/implications – The study focuses on a specific type of public organization only, which somewhat limits the generalizability of the research results. Second, as the study was cross-sectional, the causal relationships could not be inferred directly. The study results will help policymakers create a learning organization by examining the impact of organizational culture and knowledge of technological capabilities. Originality/value – This paper has added knowledge about the relationship between culture types, knowledge technological capabilities and organizational learning, particularly in the UAE. This study helps to bridge the gap in research on culture and knowledge technological capabilities and organizational learning. Keywords United Arab Emirates, Organizational learning, Information technology, Knowledge management, Clan culture, Hierarchy culture Paper type Research paper Introduction The concept of organizational learning has been a focus of considerable attention since the 1980s. A majority of researchers in this field have stressed that effective organizational learning enables an organization to improve by creating advanced knowledge (Yang, 2007). To maintain a good position in a rapidly changing environment and competitive market, firms need to focus on organizational learning and transform into learning organizations Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the editor(s), and the anonymous three reviewers for their constructive quality feedback which helped us in improving this manuscript. Declaration: Dr. Taghreed Al Dari and Dr. Fauzia Jabeen have contributed equally and are the co- first authors of this article. Contribute to organizational learning Received 15 February 2020 Revised 1 June 2020 14 August 2020 Accepted 8 September 2020 Management Research Review © Emerald Publishing Limited 2040-8269 DOI 10.1108/MRR-02-2020-0090 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-8269.htm