Organisations, Networks, and Learning: A Sociological View

In this chapter, I relate the concept of organisational learning to the recent literature on industrial districts and innovation networks. The network literature so far has not applied findings from organisational learning to network learning in a straightforward way. Usually, learning is equated with innovation and 'absorptive capacity'. However, the same virtues that distinguish networks from ordinary market exchange may turn into vices which stifle the innovative process. Core firms in industrial sectors seem to be particularly prone to this. Conversely, collaboration in knowledge intensive industries typically is both an entry ticket to an information network and a vehicle for rapid communication about new opportunities and obstacles. The chapter ends with a proposed outline for further research.