Competitive firms in thin regions in Norway: The importance of workplace learning |
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| Authors: | Bjørn-Tore Flåten Arne Isaksen James Karlsen |
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| Institution: | 1. Bj?rn-Tore Fl?ten, Department of Management, University of Agder, Box 422, NO-4604 Kristiansand, Norway. E-mail: bjorn-tore.flaten@uia.no;2. Arne Isaksen, Department of Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder, Box 509, NO-4898 Grimstad, Norway and Agderforskning, Gimlemoen 19, NO-4630 Kristiansand, Norway. E-mail: arne.isaksen@uia.no;3. James Karlsen, Department of Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder, Box 509, NO-4898 Grimstad, Norway, and Agderforskning, Gimlemoen 19, NO-4630 Kristiansand, Norway. E-mail: james.karlsen@uia.no |
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| Abstract: | The article departs from empirical studies of two competitive firms in an organisationally thin region in Norway. The main question in the article is how these firms have achieved global competitiveness. The article focuses its inquiry on how the firms organise their innovation activity, giving special attention to the firms' organisational learning and absorptive capacity. It is found that find that workplace learning enables the firms to utilise knowledge in uncommon ways. The learning rests on specific organisational traits in the firms, such as broad participation, long-term on-the-job training, the use of practice-based knowledge in innovation projects, and links to national and global knowledge sources. The characteristics of thin regions indicate that these traits make up a generally applicable strategy in such regions. |
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| Keywords: | global competitiveness innovation activity organisationally thin regions workplace learning |
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