Tools for the improvement of organizational learning processes in innovation

Learning is an essential part of innovation, including the need to internalize and disseminate information and to reduce the duplication of research activities, both technological and organizational. Using a theoretically based framework that places emphasis on the interpretative dimension of organizational learning and centers on learning processes, descriptive accounts of organizational learning in the context of R&D‐intensive companies were produced. From these case studies, specific learning tools or mechanisms were identified: job rotation, innovation process planning (activities, responsibilities, networks, sharing assumptions) and (product innovation) project review. Overall findings point to an organizational learning process which involves a high degree of parallelism and depends on the knowledge base of the organization.