組織間ネットワークにおける集団学習の役割

― イノベーティブ・ミリューを手がかりに ―

抄録

 This study aimed to determine the collective learning processes of firms that belong to interorganizational networks. From the perspective of the innovative milieu, the study attempted to clarify how firms that belong to interorganizational networks of small- and medium-sized enterprises in industrial clusters are exploiting the knowledge acquired from these networks and other member organizations to their own mature businesses and how they are exploring new technologies and business models that will contribute to their growth.

 The discussion on exploitation and exploration has been studied from various perspectives, starting with March (1991). Although organizational learning and innovation in ambidextrous organizations have been frequently discussed in recent years, research on interorganizational networks and small- and medium-sized enterprises is limited. An industrial cluster is a type of interorganizational network. Previous studies on industrial clusters have suggested that these clusters are places that foster knowledge creation and promote learning and innovation; studies have determined that collective learning within interorganizational networks is a key aspect of clusters. However, owing to the negligible research on the reasons and motivations for forming collaborative relationships between economic entities and the lack of conceptual frameworks that theoretically discuss this phenomenon, recent studies have focused on areas such as economic geography, and more consideration is being given to the innovative milieu which has been refined as a theoretical framework.

 The results of this case study show that collaboration between firms that belong to networks facilitates the sharing of new knowledge on the individual, interorganizational, and organizational levels. This study suggests that collective learning on the individual and interorganizational levels can enable learning and innovation on an organizational level via the transmission and sharing of knowledge within the organization, thus promoting further exploration toward growth.