Leveraging power of learning capability upon manufacturing operations

Learning capability (LC) is a special dynamic capability that a firm purposefully builds to develop a cognitive focus, so as to enable the configuration and improvement of other capabilities (both dynamic and operational) to create and respond to market changes. Empirical evidence regarding the essential role of LC in leveraging operational manufacturing capabilities is, however, limited in the literature. This study takes a routine-based approach to understand capability, and focuses on demonstrating leveraging power of LC upon two essential operational capabilities within the manufacturing context, i.e., operational new product development capability (ONPDC), and operational supplier integration capability (OSIC). A mixed-methods research framework was used, which combines sources of evidence derived from a survey study and a multiple case study. This study identified high-level routines of LC that can be designed and controlled by managers and practitioners, to reconfigure underlying routines of ONPDC and OSIC to achieve superior performance in a turbulent environment. Hence, the study advances the notion of knowledge-based dynamic capabilities, such as LC, as routine bundles. It also provides an impetus for managing manufacturing operations from a capability-based perspective in the fast changing knowledge era.

The learning capability of construction organisations engaged in collaborative contracting - Literature Review [industry report]

Background Value for money (VfM) on collaborative construction projects is dependent on the learning capabilities of the organisations and people involved. Within the context of infrastructure delivery, there is little research about the impact of organisational learning capability on project value. The literature contains a multiplicity of often un-testable definitions about organisational learning abilities. This paper defines learning capability as a dynamic capability that participant organisations purposely develop to add value to collaborative projects. The paper reports on a literature review that proposes a framework that conceptualises learning capability to explore the topic. This work is the first phase of a large-scale national survey funded by the Alliancing Association of Australasia and the Australian Research Council. Methodology Desk-top review of leading journals in the areas of strategic management, strategic alliances and construction management, as well as recent government documents and industry guidelines, was undertaken to synthesise, conceptualise and operationalise the concept of learning capability. The study primarily draws on the theoretical perspectives of the resource-based view of the firm (e.g. Barney 1991; Wernerfelt 1984), absorptive capacity (e.g. Cohen and Levinthal 1990; Zahra and George 2002); and dynamic capabilities (e.g. Helfat et al. 2007; Teece et al. 1997; Winter 2003). Content analysis of the literature was undertaken to identify key learning routines. Content analysis is a commonly used methodology in the social sciences area. It provides rich data through the systematic and objective review of literature (Krippendorff 2004). NVivo 9, a qualitative data analysis software package, was used to assist in this process. Findings and Future Research The review process resulted in a framework for the conceptualisation of learning capability that shows three phases of learning: (1) exploratory learning, (2) transformative learning and (3) exploitative learning. These phases combine both internal and external learning routines to influence project performance outcomes and thus VfM delivered under collaborative contracts. Sitting within these phases are eight categories of learning capability comprising knowledge articulation, identification, acquisition, dissemination, codification, internationalisation, transformation and application. The learning routines sitting within each category will be disaggregated in future research as the basis for measureable items in a large-scale survey study. The survey will examine the extent to which various learning routines influence project outcomes, as well as the relationships between them. This will involve identifying the routines that exist within organisations in the construction industry, their resourcing and rate of renewal, together with the extent of use and perceived value within the organisation. The target population is currently estimated to be around 1,000 professionals with experience in relational contracting in Australia. This future research will build on the learning capability framework to provide data that will assist construction organisations seeking to maximise VfM on construction projects.

The interface between organizational learning capability, entrepreneurial orientation, and SME growth

This paper investigates the interface between organizational learning capability, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and small business performance. It reports on the findings from 350 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in North Cyprus operating in the services and retailing sectors. The findings indicate a positive relationship between EO and sales and market share growth, but not between EO and employment growth. There is also a positive relationship between organizational learning capability and EO. This paper contributes to the small business management literature by providing a holistic analysis of the interface between organizational learning capability, EO, and growth.

Collaborative learning model of infrastructure construction: A capability perspective

Purpose Performance heterogeneity between collaborative infrastructure projects is typically examined by considering procurement systems and their governance mechanisms at static points in time. The literature neglects to consider the impact of dynamic learning capability, which is thought to reconfigure governance mechanisms over time in response to evolving market conditions. This conceptual paper proposes a new model to show how continuous joint learning of participant organisations improves project performance. Design/methodology/approach There are two stages of conceptual development. In the first stage, the management literature is analysed to explain the Standard Model of dynamic learning capability that emphasises three learning phases for organisations. This Standard Model is extended to derive a novel Circular Model of dynamic learning capability that shows a new feedback loop between performance and learning. In the second stage, the construction management literature is consulted, adding project lifecycle, stakeholder diversity and three organisational levels to the analysis, to arrive at the Collaborative Model of dynamic learning capability. Findings The Collaborative Model should enable construction organisations to successfully adapt and perform under changing market conditions. The complexity of learning cycles results in capabilities that are imperfectly imitable between organisations, explaining performance heterogeneity on projects. Originality/value The Collaborative Model provides a theoretically substantiated description of project performance, driven by the evolution of procurement systems and governance mechanisms. The Model’s empirical value will be tested in future research.

The impact of construction organisations’ learning capabilities on collaborative projects

Dynamic capability theory asserts that the learning capabilities of construction organisations influence the degree to which value-for-money (VfM) is achieved on collaborative projects. However, there has been little study conducted to verify this relationship. The evidence is particularly limited within the empirical context of infrastructure delivery in Australia. Primarily drawing on the theoretical perspectives of the resource-based view of the firm (e.g. Barney 1991), dynamic capabilities (e.g. Helfat et al. 2007), absorptive capacity (e.g. Lane et al. 2006) and knowledge management (e.g. Nonaka 1994), this paper conceptualises learning capability as a knowledge-based dynamic capability. Learning capability builds on the micro-foundations of high-order learning routines, which are deliberately developed by construction organisations for managing collaborative projects. Based on this conceptualisation of learning capability, an exploratory case study was conducted. The study investigated the operational and higher-order learning routines adopted by a project alliance team to successfully achieve VfM. The case study demonstrated that the learning routines of the alliance project were developed and modified by the continual joint learning activities of participant organisations. Project-level learning routines were found to significantly influence the development of organisational-level learning routines. In turn, the learning outcomes generated from the alliance project appeared to significantly influence the development of project management routines and contractual arrangements applied by the participant organisations in subsequent collaborative projects. The case study findings imply that the higher-order learning routines that underpin the learning capability of construction organisations have the potential to influence the VfM achieved on both current and future collaborative projects.

Client learning and the performance of collaborative infrastructure projects

Australia is a leading user of collaborative procurement methods, which are used to deliver large and complex infrastructure projects. Project alliances, Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), and partnering are typical examples of collaborative procurement models. In order to increase procurement effectiveness and value for money (VfM), clients have adopted various learning strategies for new contract development. However client learning strategies and behaviours have not been systematically analysed before. Therefore, the current paper undertakes a literature review addressing the research question “How can client learning capabilities be effectively understood?”. From the resource-based and dynamic capability perspectives, this paper proposes that the collaborative learning capability (CLC) of clients drives procurement model evolution. Learning routines underpinning CLC carry out exploratory, transformative and exploitative learning phases associated with collaborative project delivery. This learning improves operating routines, and ultimately performance. The conceptualization of CLC and the three sequential learning phases is used to analyse the evidence in the construction management literature. The main contribution of this study is the presentation of a theoretical foundation for future empirical studies to unveil effective learning strategies, which help clients to improve the performance of collaborative projects in the dynamic infrastructure market.

Improving deep convultional neural networks with unsupervised feature learning

The latest generation of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) have dramatically advanced challenging computer vision tasks, especially in object detection and object classification, achieving state-of-the-art performance in several computer vision tasks including text recognition, sign recognition, face recognition and scene understanding. The depth of these supervised networks has enabled learning deeper and hierarchical representation of features. In parallel, unsupervised deep learning such as Convolutional Deep Belief Network (CDBN) has also achieved state-of-the-art in many computer vision tasks. However, there is very limited research on jointly exploiting the strength of these two approaches. In this paper, we investigate the learning capability of both methods. We compare the output of individual layers and show that many learnt filters and outputs of the corresponding level layer are almost similar for both approaches. Stacking the DCNN on top of unsupervised layers or replacing layers in the DCNN with the corresponding learnt layers in the CDBN can improve the recognition/classification accuracy and training computational expense. We demonstrate the validity of the proposal on ImageNet dataset.

The application of building information modeling to enhance organisational learning

The construction industry is a knowledge-based industry where various actors with diverse expertise create unique information within different phases of a project. The industry has been criticized by researchers and practitioners as being unable to apply newly created knowledge effectively to innovate. The fragmented nature of the construction industry reduces the opportunity of project participants to learn from each other and absorb knowledge. Building Information Modelling (BIM), referring to digital representations of constructed facilities, is a promising technological advance that has been proposed to assist in the sharing of knowledge and creation of linkages between firms. Previous studies have mainly focused on the technical attributes of BIM and there is little evidence on its capability to enhance learning in construction firms. This conceptual paper identifies six ‘functional attributes’ of BIM that act as triggers to stimulate learning: (1) comprehensibility; (2) predictability; (3) accuracy; (4) transparency; (5) mutual understanding and; (6) integration.

Diversifying into technical clothing manufacture as entrepreneurial learning: a situated learning theory perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate analytically how entrepreneurial action as learning relating to diversifying into technical clothing – i.e. a high-value manufacturing sector – can take place. This is particularly relevant to recent discussion and debate in academic and policy-making circles concerning the survival of the clothing manufacture industry in developed industrialised countries. Design/methodology/approach – Using situated learning theory (SLT) as the major analytical lens, this case study examines an episode of entrepreneurial action relating to diversification into a high-value manufacturing sector. It is considered on instrumentality grounds, revealing wider tendencies in the management of knowledge and capabilities requisite for effective entrepreneurial action of this kind. Findings – Boundary events, brokers, boundary objects, membership structures and inclusive participation that addresses power asymmetries are found to be crucial organisational design elements, enabling the development of inter- and intracommunal capacities. These together constitute a dynamic learning capability, which underpins entrepreneurial action, such as diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors. Originality/value – Through a refinement of SLT in the context of entrepreneurial action, the paper contributes to an advancement of a substantive theory of managing technological knowledge and capabilities for effective diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors.