Bases, processes, results and contexts of interorganizational learning in cooperation networks: A multiple case study
DOI:
10.14211/regepe.e1915Keywords:
Interorganizational learning, Learning processes and bases, Learning outcomes, Learning contexts, Cooperation networks.Abstract
Objective: To analyze the constitution of bases, processes, outcomes and contexts of interorganizational learning in cooperation networks. Method: Multiple case study through interviews and document analysis was performed in three cooperation networks, with a predominance of micro and small companies in the industry, commerce and services segments. Main results: Interorganizational learning can be identified on an interorganizational basis, by strengthening the network companies’ competitiveness, providing opportunities for joint participation in activities. Learning processes – formal and informal – have occurred through the exchange of experiences and knowledge sharing. As outcomes, aspects learned in the network have been used internally by companies, which involves their paths and expectations. Theoretical / methodological contributions: We have highlighted the constitution of interorganizational learning, that is, bases, processes and outcomes, as well as their interactions with the context. Relevance / originality: The study contributes to the knowledge in interorganizational learning, especially in its processes, by taking in consideration the importance of multilevel analysis. It expands the scarce number of studies that investigate learning in cooperation networks. Social / managerial contributions: The importance of learning and knowledge generated from interorganizational relationships, with an emphasis on the role of the boundary spanners and on contextual aspects in order to promote qualification of internal processes and to expand the comprehension of costs and risks involved.
JEL CODE: L26, L29, M10, M19
Downloads
References
Aldrich, H., & Herker, D. (1977). Boundary spanning roles and organization structure. Academy of Management Review, 2(2), 217-230. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1977.4409044
Alvesson, M. (2013). Understanding organizational culture. London: Sage.
Antonello, C. S. (2011) Saberes no singular? Em discussão a falsa fronteira entre aprendizagem formal e informal. In: C. S. Antonello et al. (Eds.), Aprendizagem organizacional no Brasil (pp. 225-245). Porto Alegre: Bookman.
Antonello, C. S., & Godoy, A. S. (2010). A encruzilhada da aprendizagem organizacional: uma visão multiparadigmática. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, 14(2), 310-332. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-65552010000200008.
Badir, Y. F., & O’Connor, G. C. (2015). The formation of tie strength in a strategic alliance’s first new product development project: the influence of project and partners’ characteristics. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(1), 154-169. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12222
Balestrin, A., & Verschoore, J. (2016). Redes de cooperação empresarial: estratégias de gestão na nova economia (2a. ed.). Porto Alegre: Bookman.
Bardin, L. (2011). Análise de conteúdo (4. ed.). Lisboa: Edições 70.
Barroso-Méndez, M. J., Galera-Casquet, C., & Valero-Amaro, V. (2015). Proposal of a social alliance success model from a relationship marketing perspective: A meta-analytical study of the theoretical foundations. Business Research Quarterly, 18(3), 188-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brq.2014.09.002
Batt, P. J., & Purchase, S. (2004). Managing collaboration within networks and relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 33(3), 169-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2003.11.004
Becker, W., & Dietz, J. (2004). R&D cooperation and innovation activities of firms – evidence for the German manufacturing industry. Research Policy, 33(2), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2003.07.003
Bouncken, R. B., Pesch, R., & Kraus, S. (2015). SME innovativeness in buyer–seller alliances: effects of entry timing strategies and inter-organizational learning. Review of Managerial Science, 9(2), 361-384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-014-0160-6
Carmeli, A., Zivan, I., Gomes, E., & Markman, G. D. (2017). Underlining micro socio-psychological mechanisms of buyer-supplier relationships: Implications for inter-organizational learning agility. Human Resource Management Review, 100577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.12.002
Castells, M. (2005). A sociedade em rede (Vol. 3). São Paulo: Paz e Terra.
Chen, B. (2010). Antecedents or processes? Determinants of perceived effectiveness of interorganizational collaborations for public service delivery. International Public Management Journal, 13(4), 381-407. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2010.524836
Child, J., & Faulkner, D. (1998). Strategies of co-operation: managing alliances, networks and joint ventures. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Cox, A. (1999). Power, value and supply chain management. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 4(4), 167-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/13598549910284480
Dyer, J. H., & Chu, W. (2003). The role of trustworthiness in reducing transaction costs and improving performance: Empirical evidence from the United States, Japan, and Korea. Organization Science, 14(1), 57-68. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.14.1.57.12806
Estivalete, V., & Pedrozo, E. (2018). From Individual Learning to Interorganizational Learning: Proposition of an Analysis Framework. Desenvolvimento em Questão, 16(43), 45-76. https://doi.org/10.21527/2237-6453.2018.43.45-76
Ferdinand, J. (2004). Power, politics and state intervention in organizational learning. Management Learning, 35(4), 435-450. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507604048272
Gausdal, A. H., Svare, H., & Möllering, G. (2016). Why don’t all high-trust networks achieve strong network benefits? A case-based exploration of cooperation in Norwegian SME networks. Journal of Trust Research, 6(2), 194-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2016.1213173
Geyskens, I., Steenkamp, J. B. E., & Kumar, N. (1999). A meta-analysis of satisfaction in marketing channel relationships. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(2), 223-238. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379903600207
Gibb, J., Sune, A., & Albers, S. (2017). Network learning: Episodes of interorganizational learning towards a collective performance goal. European Management Journal, 35(1), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2016.09.001
Godoy, C. K., & Mattos, P. L. C. L. (2006). Entrevista qualitativa: instrumento de pesquisa e evento dialógico. In C. K. Godoy, R. Bandeira-De-Mello, & A. B. Silva (Orgs.), Pesquisa qualitativa em estudos organizacionais: paradigmas, estratégias e métodos (pp. 301-323). São Paulo: Saraiva.
Grandori, A., & Soda, G. (1995). Inter-firm networks: antecedents, mechanisms and forms. Organization Studies, 16(2), 183-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/017084069501600201
Gronum, S., Verreynne, M. L., & Kastelle, T. (2012). The role of networks in small and medium‐sized enterprise innovation and firm performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 50(2), 257-282. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2012.00353.x
Hardy, C., Phillips, N., & Lawrence, T. B. (2003). Resources, knowledge and influence: The organizational effects of interorganizational collaboration. Journal of Management Studies, 40(2), 321-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00342
Hoffmann, V. E., Lopes, G. S. C., & Medeiros, J. J. (2014). Knowledge transfer among the small businesses of a Brazilian cluster. Journal of Business Research, 67(5), 856-864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.07.004
Holmqvist, M. (2003). A dynamic model of intra-and interorganizational learning. Organization Studies, 24(1), 95-123. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840603024001684
Janowicz-Panjaitan, M., & Noorderhaven, N. G. (2008). Formal and informal interorganizational learning within strategic alliances. Research Policy, 37(8), 1337-1355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2008.04.025
Jarillo, J. C. (1988). On strategic networks. Strategic Management Journal, 9(1), 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250090104
Knight, L. (2002). Network learning: Exploring learning by interorganizational networks. Human Relations, 55(4), 427-454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726702554003
Knight, L., & Pye, A. (2005). Network learning: An empirically derived model of learning by groups of organizations. Human Relations, 58(3), 369-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705053427
Kull, T. J., & Ellis, S. C. (2016). Coping with dependence: a logistics strategy based on interorganizational learning for managing buyer–supplier relations. Journal of Business Logistics, 37(4), 346-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12146
Larentis, F., Antonello, C. S., Milan, G. S., & De Toni, D. (2014). Aprendizagem organizacional e relacionamentos interorganizacionais: um estudo de casos múltiplos. Revista Base, 11(4), 347-366. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12146
Larentis, F., Antonello, C. S., & Slongo, L. A. (2019). Inter-organizational culture: linking Relationship Marketing with Organizational Behavior. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan (by Springer Nature Switzerland AG). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00392-0
Larentis, F., Antonello, C. S., & Slongo, L. A. (2018). Organizational culture and relationship marketing: an interorganizational perspective. Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios, 20(1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v20i1.3688
Larsson, R., Bengtsson, L., Henriksson, K., & Sparks, J. (1998). The interorganizational learning dilemma: collective knowledge development in strategic alliances. Organization Science, 9(3), 285-305. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.9.3.285
Lascaux, A. (2019). Absorptive Capacity, Research Output Sharing, and Research Output Capture in University-Industry Partnerships. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 35(3), 101045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2019.03.001
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Leung, C. Y. A., Xu, H., Wu, G. J., & Luthans, K. W. (2019). Industry Peer Networks (IPNs): Cooperative and competitive interorganizational learning and network outcomes. Management Research Review, 42(1), 122-140. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-02-2018-0057
Lewicka, D., & Zakrzewska-Bielawska, A. (2020). Interorganizational Trust in Business Relations: Cooperation and Coopetition. In A. Zakrzewska-Bielawska, & I. Staniec. Contemporary Challenges in Cooperation and Coopetition in the Age of Industry 4.0 (pp. 155-174). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30549-9_8
Lotia, N. (2004). Power dynamics and learning in collaborations. Journal of Management & Organization, 10(2), 56-68. https://doi.org/10.5172/jmo.2004.10.2.56
Lucas, C., & Kline, T. (2008). Understanding the influence of organizational culture and group dynamics on organizational change and learning. The Learning Organization, 15(3), 277-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/09696470810868882
March, J. G. (1991). Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science, 2(1), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2.1.71
Martin, D., Romero, I., & Wegner, D. (2019). Individual, organizational, and institutional determinants of formal and informal inter‐firm cooperation in SMEs. Journal of Small Business Management, 57(4), 1698-1711. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12445
Massaro, M., Moro, A., Aschauer, E., & Fink, M. (2019). Trust, control and knowledge transfer in small business networks. Review of Managerial Science, 13(2), 267-301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-017-0247-y
Merrian, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th. ed.). San Francisco, USA: Jossey-Bass.
Milagres, R., & Burcharth, A. (2019). Knowledge transfer in interorganizational partnerships: what do we know? Business Process Management Journal, 25(1), 27-68. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-06-2017-0175
Mohr, J. J., & Sengupta, S. (2002). Managing the paradox of inter‐firm learning: the role of governance mechanisms. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 17(4), 282-301. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620210431688
Mozzato, A. R., & Bitencourt, C. C. (2014). Understanding interorganizational learning based on social spaces and learning episodes. Brazilian Administration Review, 11(3), 284-301. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-7692bar2014370
Nicolini, D., Gherardi, S., & Yanow, D. (2003). Introduction: Toward a practice-based view of knowledge and learning in organization. In: D. Nicolini, S. Gherardi, & D. Yanow (Eds.), Knowing in organizations: a practice-based approach (pp. 3-31). New York: M. E. Sharpe.
Nogueira, R. A., & Odelius, C. C. (2015). Desafios da pesquisa em aprendizagem organizacional. Cadernos EBAPE.BR, 13(1), 83-102. https://doi.org/10.1590/1679-395112602
Nohria, N., & Eccles, R. G. (1992). Networks and organizations: structure, form, and action. Boston, USA: Harvard Business School Press.
Nonaka, I., Toyama, R., & Hirata, T. (2011). Managing flow: teoria e casos de empresas baseadas no conhecimento. Porto Alegre: Bookman.
Oliver, C. (1990). Determinants of interorganizational relationships: Integration and future directions. Academy of Management Review, 15(2), 241-265. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1990.4308156
Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., Grewal, D., & Evans, K. R. (2006). Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: A meta-analysis. Journal of marketing, 70(4), 136-153. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.70.4.136
Peronard, J. P., & Brix, J. (2019). Organizing for inter-organizational learning in service networks. The Learning Organization, 26(3), 276-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-08-2018-0137
Pettersen, I. G. (2001). A multi-level perspective on the dissolution of business relationships. Proceedings of the Annual IMP Conference, Oslo, Norway, 17.
Podolny, J. M., & Page, K. L. (1998). Network forms of organization. Annual Review of Sociology, 24(1), 57-76. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.57
Rajala, A. (2018). Examining the effects of interorganizational learning on performance: a meta-analysis. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 33(4), 574-584. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-08-2017-0205
Sacomano Neto, M., & Truzzi, O. M. S. (2009). Posicionamento estrutural e relacional em redes de empresas: uma análise do consórcio modular da indústria automobilística. Gestão & Produção, 16(4), 598-611. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-530X2009000400009
Schmidt, J. R. R., Wegner, D., & Fortes, M. V. B. (2019). A governança de redes interorganizacionais: uma análise da tensão entre eficiência e inclusão no processo decisório. Revista de Empreendedorismo e Gestão de Pequenas Empresas, 8(2), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.14211/regepe.v8i2.1137
Selnes, F., & Sallis, J. (2003). Promoting relationship learning. Journal of Marketing, 67(3), 80-95. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.67.3.80.18656
Uzunca, B. (2018). Biological children versus stepchildren: interorganizational learning processes of spinoff and nonspinoff suppliers. Journal of Management, 44(8), 3258-3287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316664007
Verschoore, J. R., Balestrin, A., & Perucia, A. (2014). Small-firm networks: hybrid arrangement or organizational form? Organizações & Sociedade, 21(69), 275-291. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-92302014000200005
Wang, Y., & Krakover, S. (2008). Destination marketing: competition, cooperation or coopetition? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(2), 126-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110810852122
Wegner, D. (2011). Aprendizagem Interorganizacional: um estudo das redes horizontais de pequenas empresas. In C. S. Antonello et al. (Eds.). Aprendizagem organizacional no Brasil (pp. 537-564). Porto Alegre: Bookman.
Wegner, D., Faccin, K., & Dolci, P. C. (2018). Opening the black box of small-firm networks: governance mechanisms and their impact on social capital. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 35(4), 559-578. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2018.096174
Wegner, D., & Mozzato, A. R. (2019). Shall we cooperate, or shall we compete? How network learning episodes influence strategic decisions in strategic networks. International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 18(3), 171-188. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2018.096174
Wincent, J., Thorgren, S., & Anokhin, S. (2014). Entrepreneurial orientation and network board diversity in network organizations. Journal of Business Venturing, 29(2), 327-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2013.04.002
Yin, R. K. (2015). Estudo de Caso: Planejamento e métodos (5a. ed.). Porto Alegre: Bookman.
Yström, A., Ollila, S., Agogué, M., & Coghlan, D. (2019). The role of a learning approach in building an interorganizational network aiming for collaborative innovation. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 55(1), 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886318793383
Zhu, Q., Krikke, H., & Caniels, M. C. (2018). Supply chain integration: value creation through managing inter-organizational learning. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(1), 211-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886318793383
Downloads
Published
Métricas
Visualizações do artigo: 807 PDF (Português (Brasil)) downloads: 92 PDF downloads: 35
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Verena Alice Borelli, Fabiano Larentis, Douglas Wegner
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
-
The author(s) authorize the publication of the text in the journal;
-
The journal is not responsible for the opinions, ideas, and concepts expressed in the texts, as they are the sole responsibility of their authors;
-
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work published under the CC BY 4.0
License, which allows sharing the work with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal; -
Authors are allowed and encouraged to post their work (Submitted version, Accepted version [Manuscript accepted by the author], or Published version [Record version]) online, for example in institutional repositories or preprints, as it can lead to productive exchanges as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. REGEPE requires that authors indicate/link the published article with DOI. See the Effect of Open Access.
