Although the concept of learning culture is still poorly metabolized in the current scientific debate, an empirical body of knowledge demonstrates that it can affect several dimensions of organizational performance, including innovation. However, a substantial black box persists in the comprehension of the dynamics through which learning culture affects innovation in organizations. In addressing this gap, the present paper aims to disentangle the concept of learning culture and unrevealing how it might affect innovation. We point the light on the organizational setting of TELT (Tunnel Euralpin Lyon-Turin), which is an Italian French public company in charge of building the high-speed railway between Italy and France. 23 semi-structured interviews are conducted with managers directly involved with innovation, integrated with artifacts provided by the informants and field notes. After having delineated organizational learning along five sub-constructs, our findings reveal four distinct learning cultures coexisting in the organization, each of them having different attitudes towards innovation. Finally, we expose the tensions between learning cultures and their two-way hybrid forms that cohabit in TELT. Our study has sound implications for enriching scholarly debate in learning culture and innovation. It resolves the conceptual confusion pervading extant literature and highlights vibrant dynamics for what concerns learning culture. We conclude by offering insights regarding how the propensities of members of different cultures can be harnessed for an optimal innovation outcome, and also how their resistance to innovation can be overcome.
