Third-Party-Supported Benchmarking for Reciprocal Learning

The tool has been developed for situations when a focal company encounters a practical problem in network management but does not have resources to match the problem into the right theoretical context and divide the problem into manageable entities. Here, benchmarking is viewed through a practice lens. Practice lens leads to focusing on the use of tool for creating common language and offering space for interaction. The tool has been developed and tested in a case where the focal company wanted to improve its R&D processes and better manage its innovation network. The purpose is to show how third-party-supported benchmarking is mobilized, that is, to provide the guidelines for successful benchmarking facilitating discussions and reciprocal learning in a network as well as to present the outcomes the process generated.

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