The innovation process as a collective learning process

Abstract

Under conditions of spatial and functional fragmented value-added chains and increasing complexity of products, innovation processes become highly complex and increasingly societal due to the involvement of various representatives of core competencies. To solve the resulting coordination problem companies tend to embed their innovation activities into networks and thereby attend to collective innovation processes. Under these conditions innovation processes become collective learning processes. Learning results on the individual, the company and the technology level are produced. The network partners have to learn collectively, unlearn established routines and learn from mistakes. To enable collective learning regular direct interaction is necessary. Most of the integrated knowledge is tacit and hardly transferable without direct interaction. Common institutions result of regular direct interaction and are indispensable for coordination. It becomes clear that collective learning capacity will increasingly determine competitive advantage. This leads to an indispensable redefinition of Innovation Management models.