Purpose: The correlation between organizational unit managers' leadership styles and the level of organizational learning in their units was tested. Design/methodology/approach: A positive correlation was hypothesized between transformational leadership and organizational learning as manifested by organizational learning mechanisms--OLMs (the structural component) and by organizational learning values (the cultural component). The research was conducted at 44 community clinics of a health-care organization in Israel. Findings: The findings attested to the central role of organizational leaders in determining the effectiveness of organizational learning. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed. Originality/value: Suggests that, in addition to separating the sources of reporting, and increasing the number of measures, future studies should also extend the research to different kinds of organizations, addressing different purposes, environments, work forces, and so forth.