THE MANAGED INTERACTION BETWEEN INNOVATION AND LEARNING AND A COMPLEMENTARY PERSPECTIVE

This chapter treats the management’s understanding of the potential of managing interaction between product innovation and learning. The chapter draws its empirical results from interviews with the management, project leaders, and other employees working on product innovations in five manufacturing firms visited three to four times during 2001–2002. It is shown that the managed interaction between innovation and learning is promoted by explicit strategic consideration and most strongly by a knowledge management strategy. Important positive and negative structural conditions are highlighted.