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Developing regional communities of practice by network reflection: the case of the Norwegian electronics industry

2008; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/08985620701748367

1464-5114

Anne Haugen Gausdal,

Business Strategy and Innovation

Abstract In 2001 a cluster association of Norwegian high-technology SMEs challenged their regional university college to develop a management education programme aimed at improving both their management practices and co-operation within the cluster. To meet this challenge, the university developed an educational method, which is here denoted as network reflection. The primary objective of this empirical paper is to explore the extent to which network reflection has the capacity to increase regional co-operation, and to extend such concepts as communities of practice, networks of practice and experienced reflection to the regional level, in order to analyse the development of regional collective learning. To achieve this objective, a case study of a network reflection intervention and its longitudinal effects on forming regional co-operation has been conducted. The research questions are: (1) Does network reflection influence the development of regional co-operation and communities of practice? (2) If increases in regional co-operation and communities of practice could be identified, did these influence regional collective learning? (3) Does network reflection influence regional collective learning? The paper concludes that network reflection seems to have a capacity to increase regional co-operation, regional communities of practice and regional collective learning. Keywords: regional collective learningregional communities of practiceregional universityexperienced reflectionnetwork reflection. Notes Notes 1. This development was inspired by theories of knowledge creation (Polanyi Citation1966, Nonaka et al. Citation2000), conferences (Gustavsen and Engelstad Citation1986), cluster (Porter Citation1998) and innovation systems (Lundvall and Johnson Citation1992, Cooke Citation1998). 2. The REGional INNovation (REGINN) project. 3. Thirteen firms were electronics/ICT firms, one firm was the regional hospital (one participant). 4. All quotations are translated from Norwegian to English by the author. 5. Most of the firms participating in these NoPs are located in Horten. Three firms are located in the neighbour municipality, one firm at 30 km, and the last one at 50 km south of Horten. 6. All these firms are located in Horten. 7. Six of these firms are located in Horten, the seventh is located 50 km southward from Horten. 8. The concept of know-who knowledge was first launched by Ryle (Citation1949). 9. Working part-time, 50%. 10. Materials Management & Logistics, Product-design, the Management Academy, Production, Encapsulation technology, Competence, Team-coordinator group (Electronic-Coast Citation2007) and Avanse (those underlined are building on relationships from the programme). 11. This quotation was reported in an interview with another researcher who identified learning arenas in the cluster (in 2004). 12. Because of their inclusion into large multinational companies, these are not SMEs any more. 13. Information from group interview with the firm's management group, 19 January 2005. 14. Two developing and manufacturing firms, Ignis ASA and Medisteam, and six developing firms with outsourced production. 15. Infineon Technologies SensoNor AS, Kongsberg Maritime AS and GE Vingmed Ultrasound AS.