Supporting knowledge creation and sharing in the early phases of the strategic innovation process

The driving forces of technology and globalization continuously transform the business landscape in a way which undermines the existing strategies and innovations of organizations. The challenge for organizations is to establish such conditions where they are able to create new knowledge for innovative business ideas in interaction between other organizations and individuals. Innovation processes continuously need new external stimulations and seek new ideas, new information and knowledge locating more and more outside traditional organizational boundaries. In several studies, the early phases of the innovation process have been considered as the most critical ones. During these phases, the innovation process can emerge or conclude. External knowledge acquirement and utilization are noticed to be important at this stage of the innovation process giving information about the development of future markets and needs for new innovative businessideas. To make it possible, new methods and approaches to manage proactive knowledge creation and sharing activities are needed. In this study, knowledge creation and sharing in the early phases of the innovation process has been studied, and the understanding of knowledge management in the innovation process in an open and collaborative context advanced. Furthermore, the innovation management methods in this study are combined in a novel way to establish an open innovation process and tested in real-life cases. For these purposes two complementary and sequentially applied group work methods - the heuristic scenario method and the idea generation process - are examined by focusing the research on the support of the open knowledge creation and sharing process. The research objective of this thesis concerns two doctrines: the innovation management including the knowledge management, and the futures research concerning the scenario paradigm. This thesis also applies the group decision support system (GDSS) in the idea generation process to utilize the converged knowledge during the scenario process.

Knowledge sharing in virtual communities

The Internet has transformed the scope, boundaries and dynamics of social and economic interactions. It is argued to have broadened the notion of the community from physical, colocated groups towards collectives that are able to transcend time and space, i.e. virtual communities. Even if virtual communities have been on the academic agenda for a couple of decades, there is still surprisingly little research on knowledge sharing within them. In addition, prior research has largely neglected the complex dynamics between Internet-based communication channels and the surrounding communities in which they are embedded. This thesis aims at building a better understanding of knowledge sharing supported by conversational technologies in intra-organisational virtual communities and external virtual communities supporting relationships with customers. The focus is thus on knowledge sharing in types of virtual communities that seem to be of relevance to business organisations. The study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic and discusses the overall results. The second part comprises seven research publications. Qualitative research methods are used throughout the study. The results of the study indicate that investigation of the processes of knowledge sharing in virtual communities requires a socio-technical perspective, combining the individual, social and technological levels, and understanding the interplay between them. It is claimed that collective knowledge in virtual communities creates the enabling structure for knowledge sharing, and forms the invisible structure of the community on the basis of which it operates. It consists of a shared context, social capital and a unique community culture. The Internet does not inevitably erode social interaction: it seems that supporting social relationships by means of communication technology is a matter of quantity rather than quality. In order to provide access to external knowledge and expertise, firms need to open themselves up to an array of Internet-based conversations, and to consider the relevance of virtual communities to their businesses.

Formal and informal mechanisms for knowledge protection and sharing

The most important knowledge in firms is mostly tacit and embedded in individuals within the organization. This background knowledge that firms possess is used for creation of new knowledge and innovations. As firms today greatly concentrate on their core competencies, they need external knowledge from various collaboration partners. Thus, collaborative relationship governance, as well as control (use of appropriability mechanisms) over background (the input from each firm in innovative activities) and foreground knowledge (the output of collaboration activities) is needed in order to successfully create and capture value from innovative activities without losing core knowledge and competitiveness. Even though research has concentrated on knowledge protection and knowledge sharing, studies that combine both of these views and examine the effects of sharing and protection on value creation and capture have been rather limited. Studies have mainly focused on the protection of the output of innovation while forgetting the protection of the input of innovation. On the other hand, as the research concentrating on the output of innovation tends to favor formal mechanisms, informal mechanisms have remained more unknown to researchers as well as managers. This research aims to combine the perspectives of knowledge sharing and knowledge protection and their relationship with value creation and value capture. The sharing and protection are viewed from two points of view: the use of appropriability mechanisms, as well as governance of the collaborative relationship. The study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic and discusses the overall results. The second part comprises six complementary research publications. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in the study. In terms of results, the findings enhance understanding of the combined use of formal and informal mechanisms for knowledge protection and sharing. Informal mechanisms appear to be emphasized in the protection of background knowledge, and thus are prerequisites for innovation, whereas formal mechanisms are relied on more for protecting the results of innovative activities. However, the simultaneous use of the formal and informal mechanisms that are relevant to the particular industry and innovation context is recommendedthroughout the collaborative innovation process. Further, the study adds to the current knowledge on HRM as an appropriability mechanism: on the firm level its uses include assessing and hedging against employee-related risks such as knowledge leaking and knowledge leaving. A further contribution is to the research on HRM protection and its interrelations with other appropriability mechanisms, its constituents, and its potential use in the area of knowledge protection.

Creating possibilities for collective creativity : Brokerage Functions in Practice-Based Innovation

In the network era, creative achievements like innovations are more and more often created in interaction among different actors. The complexity of today‘s problems transcends the individual human mind, requiring not only individual but also collective creativity. In collective creativity, it is impossible to trace the source of new ideas to an individual. Instead, creative activity emerges from the collaboration and contribution of many individuals, thereby blurring the contribution of specific individuals in creating ideas. Collective creativity is often associated with diversity of knowledge, skills, experiences and perspectives. Collaboration between diverse actors thus triggers creativity and gives possibilities for collective creativity. This dissertation investigates collective creativity in the context of practice-based innovation. Practice-based innovation processes are triggered by problem setting in a practical context and conducted in non-linear processes utilising scientific and practical knowledge production and creation in cross-disciplinary innovation networks. In these networks diversity or distances between innovation actors are essential. Innovation potential may be found in exploiting different kinds of distances. This dissertation presents different kinds of distances, such as cognitive, functional and organisational which could be considered as sources of creativity and thus innovation. However, formation and functioning of these kinds of innovation networks can be problematic. Distances between innovating actors may be so great that a special interpretation function is needed – that is, brokerage. This dissertation defines factors that enhance collective creativity in practice-based innovation and especially in the fuzzy front end phase of innovation processes. The first objective of this dissertation is to study individual and collective creativity at the employee level and identify those factors that support individual and collective creativity in the organisation. The second objective is to study how organisations use external knowledge to support collective creativity in their innovation processes in open multi-actor innovation. The third objective is to define how brokerage functions create possibilities for collective creativity especially in the context of practice-based innovation. The research objectives have been studied through five substudies using a case-study strategy. Each substudy highlights various aspects of creativity and collective creativity. The empirical data consist of materials from innovation projects arranged in the Lahti region, Finland, or materials from the development of innovation methods in the Lahti region. The Lahti region has been chosen as the research context because the innovation policy of the region emphasises especially the promotion of practice-based innovations. The results of this dissertation indicate that all possibilities of collective creativity are not utilised in internal operations of organisations. The dissertation introduces several factors that could support collective creativity in organisations. However, creativity as a social construct is understood and experienced differently in different organisations, and these differences should be taken into account when supporting creativity in organisations. The increasing complexity of most potential innovations requires collaborative creative efforts that often exceed the boundaries of the organisation and call for the involvement of external expertise. In practice-based innovation different distances are considered as sources of creativity. This dissertation gives practical implications on how it is possible to exploit different kinds of distances knowingly. It underlines especially the importance of brokerage functions in open, practice-based innovation in order to create possibilities for collective creativity. As a contribution of this dissertation, a model of brokerage functions in practice-based innovation is formulated. According to the model, the results and success of brokerage functions are based on the context of brokerage as well as the roles, tasks, skills and capabilities of brokers. The brokerage functions in practice-based innovation are also possible to divide into social and cognitive brokerage.

On Innovative Search: the use of internal and external sources of innovation among Finnish innovators

This dissertation explores the use of internal and external sources of knowledge in modern innovation processes. It builds on a framework that combines theories such as a behavioural theory of the firm, the evolutionary theory of economic change, and modern approaches to strategic management. It follows the recent increase in innovation research focusing on the firm-level examination of innovative activities instead of traditional industry-level determinants. The innovation process is seen as a problem- and slack- driven search process, which can take several directions in terms of organizational boundaries in the pursuit of new knowledge and other resources. It thus draws on recent models of technological change, according to which firms nowadays should build their innovative activities on both internal and external sources of innovation rather than relying solely on internal resources. Four different research questions are addressed, all of which are empirically investigated via a rich dataset covering Finnish innovators collected by Statistics Finland. Firstly, the study examines how the nature of problems shapes the direction of any search for new knowledge. In general it demonstrates that the nature of the problem does affect the direction of the search, although under resource constraints firms tend to use external rather than internal sources of knowledge. At the same time, it shows that those firms that are constrained in terms of finance seem to search both internally and externally. Secondly, the dissertation investigates the relationships between different kinds of internal and external sources of knowledge in an attempt to find out where firms should direct their search in order to exploit the potential of a distributed innovation process. The concept of complementarities is applied in this context. The third research question concerns how the use of external knowledge sources – openness to external knowledge – influences the financial performance of firms. Given the many advantages of openness presented in the current literature, the focus is on how it shapes profitability. The results reveal a curvilinear relationship between profitability and openness (taking an inverted U-shape), the implication being that it pays to be open up to a certain point, but being too open to external sources may be detrimental to financial performance. Finally, the dissertation addresses some challenges in CISbased innovation research that have received relatively little attention in prior studies. The general aim is to underline the fact that comprehensive understanding of the complex process of technological change requires the constant development of methodological approaches (in terms of data and measures, for example). All the empirical analyses included in the dissertation are based on the Finnish CIS (Finnish Innovation Survey 1998-2000).

Partial nitritation of landfill leachate in a SBR prior to an anammox reactor : operation and modelling

Els lixiviats d'abocadors urbans són aigües residuals altament contaminades, que es caracteritzen per les elevades concentracions d'amoni i el baix contingut de matèria orgànica biodegradable. El tractament dels lixiviats a través dels processos de nitrificació-desnitrificació convencionals és costós a causa de la seva elevada demanda d'oxigen i la necessitat d'addició d'una font de carboni externa. En els darrers anys, la viabilitat del tractament d'aquest tipus d'afluents per un procés combinat de nitritació parcial-anammox ha estat demostrada. Aquesta tesi es centra en el tractament de lixiviats d'abocador a través d'un procés de nitritació parcial en SBR, com un pas preparatori per a un reactor anammox. Els resultats de l'estudi han demostrat la viabilitat d'aquesta tecnologia per al tractament de lixiviats d'abocador. El treball va evolucionar des d'una escala inicial de laboratori, on el procés va ser testat inicialment, a uns exitosos experiments d'operació a llarg termini a escala pilot. Finalment, la tesi també inclou el desenvolupament, calibració i validació d'un model matemàtic del procés, que té com a objectiu augmentar el coneixement del procés.

The effect of an external auditory stimulus on postural stability of participants with cochlear implants

Postural control was evaluated in cochlear implant participants with and without amplification under several auditory paradigms. Speed of sway was recorded in each condition by means of Computerized Dynamic Posturography. Results indicate that an external sound source significantly improves balance in patients with cochlear implants.

A Web Services architecture for UMLS Knowledge Sources.

A web service is a collection of industry standards to enable reusability of services and interoperability of heterogeneous applications. The UMLS Knowledge Source (UMLSKS) Server provides remote access to the UMLSKS and related resources. We propose a Web Services Architecture that encapsulates UMLSKS-API and makes it available in distributed and heterogeneous environments. This is the first step towards intelligent and automatic UMLS services discovery and invocation by computer systems in distributed environments such as web.

Evaluation of reactivity monitoring techniques at the Yalina – Booster subcritical facility

La gestión de los residuos radiactivos de vida larga producidos en los reactores nucleares constituye uno de los principales desafíos de la tecnología nuclear en la actualidad. Una posible opción para su gestión es la transmutación de los nucleidos de vida larga en otros de vida más corta. Los sistemas subcríticos guiados por acelerador (ADS por sus siglas en inglés) son una de las tecnologías en desarrollo para logar este objetivo. Un ADS consiste en un reactor nuclear subcrítico mantenido en un estado estacionario mediante una fuente externa de neutrones guiada por un acelerador de partículas. El interés de estos sistemas radica en su capacidad para ser cargados con combustibles que tengan contenidos de actínidos minoritarios mayores que los reactores críticos convencionales, y de esta manera, incrementar las tasas de trasmutación de estos elementos, que son los principales responsables de la radiotoxicidad a largo plazo de los residuos nucleares. Uno de los puntos clave que han sido identificados para la operación de un ADS a escala industrial es la necesidad de monitorizar continuamente la reactividad del sistema subcrítico durante la operación. Por esta razón, desde los años 1990 se han realizado varios experimentos en conjuntos subcríticos de potencia cero (MUSE, RACE, KUCA, Yalina, GUINEVERE/FREYA) con el fin de validar experimentalmente estas técnicas. En este contexto, la presente tesis se ocupa de la validación de técnicas de monitorización de la reactividad en el conjunto subcrítico Yalina-Booster. Este conjunto pertenece al Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research (JIPNR-Sosny) de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bielorrusia. Dentro del proyecto EUROTRANS del 6º Programa Marco de la UE, en el año 2008 se ha realizado una serie de experimentos en esta instalación concernientes a la monitorización de la reactividad bajo la dirección del CIEMAT. Se han realizado dos tipos de experimentos: experimentos con una fuente de neutrones pulsada (PNS) y experimentos con una fuente continua con interrupciones cortas (beam trips). En el caso de los primeros, experimentos con fuente pulsada, existen dos técnicas fundamentales para medir la reactividad, conocidas como la técnica del ratio bajo las áreas de los neutrones inmediatos y retardados (o técnica de Sjöstrand) y la técnica de la constante de decaimiento de los neutrones inmediatos. Sin embargo, varios experimentos han mostrado la necesidad de aplicar técnicas de corrección para tener en cuenta los efectos espaciales y energéticos presentes en un sistema real y obtener valores precisos de la reactividad. En esta tesis, se han investigado estas correcciones mediante simulaciones del sistema con el código de Montecarlo MCNPX. Esta investigación ha servido también para proponer una versión generalizada de estas técnicas donde se buscan relaciones entre la reactividad el sistema y las cantidades medidas a través de simulaciones de Monte Carlo. El segundo tipo de experimentos, experimentos con una fuente continua e interrupciones del haz, es más probable que sea empleado en un ADS industrial. La versión generalizada de las técnicas desarrolladas para los experimentos con fuente pulsada también ha sido aplicada a los resultados de estos experimentos. Además, el trabajo presentado en esta tesis es la primera vez, en mi conocimiento, en que la reactividad de un sistema subcrítico se monitoriza durante la operación con tres técnicas simultáneas: la técnica de la relación entre la corriente y el flujo (current-to-flux), la técnica de desconexión rápida de la fuente (source-jerk) y la técnica del decaimiento de los neutrones inmediatos. Los casos analizados incluyen la variación rápida de la reactividad del sistema (inserción y extracción de las barras de control) y la variación rápida de la fuente de neutrones (interrupción larga del haz y posterior recuperación). ABSTRACT The management of long-lived radioactive wastes produced by nuclear reactors constitutes one of the main challenges of nuclear technology nowadays. A possible option for its management consists in the transmutation of long lived nuclides into shorter lived ones. Accelerator Driven Subcritical Systems (ADS) are one of the technologies in development to achieve this goal. An ADS consists in a subcritical nuclear reactor maintained in a steady state by an external neutron source driven by a particle accelerator. The interest of these systems lays on its capacity to be loaded with fuels having larger contents of minor actinides than conventional critical reactors, and in this way, increasing the transmutation rates of these elements, that are the main responsible of the long-term radiotoxicity of nuclear waste. One of the key points that have been identified for the operation of an industrial-scale ADS is the need of continuously monitoring the reactivity of the subcritical system during operation. For this reason, since the 1990s a number of experiments have been conducted in zero-power subcritical assemblies (MUSE, RACE, KUCA, Yalina, GUINEVERE/FREYA) in order to experimentally validate these techniques. In this context, the present thesis is concerned with the validation of reactivity monitoring techniques at the Yalina-Booster subcritical assembly. This assembly belongs to the Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research (JIPNR-Sosny) of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Experiments concerning reactivity monitoring have been performed in this facility under the EUROTRANS project of the 6th EU Framework Program in year 2008 under the direction of CIEMAT. Two types of experiments have been carried out: experiments with a pulsed neutron source (PNS) and experiments with a continuous source with short interruptions (beam trips). For the case of the first ones, PNS experiments, two fundamental techniques exist to measure the reactivity, known as the prompt-to-delayed neutron area-ratio technique (or Sjöstrand technique) and the prompt neutron decay constant technique. However, previous experiments have shown the need to apply correction techniques to take into account the spatial and energy effects present in a real system and thus obtain accurate values for the reactivity. In this thesis, these corrections have been investigated through simulations of the system with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. This research has also served to propose a generalized version of these techniques where relationships between the reactivity of the system and the measured quantities are obtained through Monte Carlo simulations. The second type of experiments, with a continuous source with beam trips, is more likely to be employed in an industrial ADS. The generalized version of the techniques developed for the PNS experiments has also been applied to the result of these experiments. Furthermore, the work presented in this thesis is the first time, to my knowledge, that the reactivity of a subcritical system has been monitored during operation simultaneously with three different techniques: the current-to-flux, the source-jerk and the prompt neutron decay techniques. The cases analyzed include the fast variation of the system reactivity (insertion and extraction of a control rod) and the fast variation of the neutron source (long beam interruption and subsequent recovery).

Polímeros de coordenação à base de cobalto(II) e N,N'-bis(4-piridil)-1,4,5,8-naftaleno diimida como ligante e suas propriedade estruturais, espectroscópicas e fotoelétricas

Polímeros de coordenação têm atraído a atenção de pesquisadores na última década por conta de sua incrível versatilidade e virtualmente infinito número de possibilidades de combinação de ligantes orgânicos e centros metálicos. Estes compostos normalmente herdam as características magnéticas, eletrônicas e espectroscópicas de seus componentes base. Entretanto, apesar do crescente número de trabalhos na área, ainda são raros os polímeros de coordenação que apresentem condutividade elétrica. Para este fim, utilizou-se a N,N\'-bis(4-piridil)-1,4,5,8-naftaleno diimida, ou NDI-py, que pertence a uma classe de compostos rígidos, planares, quimicamente e termicamente estáveis e que já foram extensamente estudados por suas propriedades fotoeletroquímicas e semicondução do tipo n. O primeiro polímero de coordenação sintetizado, MOF-CoNDI-py-1, indicou ser um polímero linear, de estrutura 1D. O segundo, MOF-CoNDI-py-2, que conta com ácido tereftálico como ligante suporte, é um sólido cristalino com cela unitária monoclínica pertencente ao grupo espacial C2/c, determinado por difração de raios-X de monocristal. A rede apresenta um arranjo trinuclear de íons Co(II) alto spin com coordenados em uma geometria de octaedro distorcido, enquanto os ligantes NDI-py se encontram em um arranjo paralelo na estrutura, em distâncias apropriadas para transferência eletrônica. Com o auxílio de cálculo teóricos a nível de DFT, foi realizado um estudo aprofundado dos espectros eletrônicos e vibracionais, com atribuição das transições observadas, tanto para o MOF-CoNDI-py-2 quanto para o ligante NDI-py livre. A rede de coordenação absorve em toda a região do espectro eletrônico analisada, de 200 nm a 2500 nm, além de apresentar luminescência com característica do ligante. Dispositivos eletrônicos fabricados com um cristal do MOF-CoNDI-py-2 revelaram condutividades da ordem de 7,9 10-3 S cm -1, a maior já observada para um MOF. Além de elevada, a condutividade elétrica dos cristais demonstrou-se altamente anisotrópica, sendo significativamente menos condutor em algumas direções. Os perfis de corrente versus voltagem foram analisados em termos de mecanismos de condutividade, sendo melhores descritos por um mecanismo limitado pelo eletrodo to tipo Space-Charge Limited Current, concordando com a proposta de condutividade através dos planos de NDI-py na rede. A condutividade dos cristais também é fortemente dependente de luz, apresentando fotocondução quando irradiado por um laser vermelho, de 632 nm, enquanto apresenta um comportamento fotorresistivo frente a uma fonte de luz branca. Estes resultados, combinados, trazem um MOF em uma estrutura incomum e com elevada condutividade elétrica, modulada por luz, em medidas diretas de corrente. Não existem exemplos conhecidos de MOFs na literatura com estas características.

Toward understanding inter-organizational knowledge transfer needs in SMEs:insight from a UK investigation

Purpose - External knowledge is generally believed to be of prime importance to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, a review of the literature shows that no empirical research has looked at knowledge management issues at the inter-organizational level in SMEs. This paper seeks to report on an empirical investigation with UK SMEs in the service sector to identify their needs and practices regarding inter-organizational knowledge transfer, and thus provide empirical evidence to support the above belief. Design/methodology/approach - A two-tier methodology (i.e. using both questionnaire survey and interview approaches) is deployed to address the main research objectives. A questionnaire survey of SMEs is carried out to investigate their current inter-organizational knowledge transfer situation and managers' perception on various relevant issues. Then 12 face-to-face interviews with SME managers are conducted to further validate key findings drawn from the questionnaire survey. Findings - The empirical evidence collected from the survey and interviews confirms the general belief that external knowledge is of prime importance for SMEs, and demonstrates that SMEs have very strong needs for external knowledge and inter-organizational knowledge transfer. Research limitations/implications - The findings provide very strong underpinning for further theoretical research on inter-organizational knowledge transfer in SMEs. However, this study has certain limitations: its results may not be applicable to other industrial sectors or the same sector in other countries; or to micro or large companies; nor does it involve cross-cultural issues. Originality/value - By adopting a two-tier research methodology, this study provides more reliable understanding and knowledge on SMEs' inter-organizational knowledge transfer needs and practices, and fills the gap that exists in the empirical investigations on the subject. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

The innovation value chain in new technology based firms:evidence from the UK

We present the first innovation value chain analysis for a representative sample of new technology based firms (NTBFs) in the UK. This involves determining which factors lead to the usage of different knowledge sources and the relationships that exist between those sources of knowledge; the effect that each knowledge source has on innovative activity; and how innovation outputs affect the performance of NTBFs. We find that internal and external knowledge sources are complementary for NTBFs, and that supply chain linkages have both a direct and indirect effect on innovation. NTBFs’ skill resources matter throughout the innovation value chain, being positively associated with external knowledge linkages and innovation success, and also having a direct effect on growth independent of the effect on innovation. Exporting matters for performance, but not through any effect on innovation.

Knowledge, capabilities and manufacturing innovation: a US-Europe comparison

In this paper we report a comparative analysis of the factors which contribute to the innovation performance of manufacturing firms in the US state of Georgia, and three European regions, the UK regions of Wales and the West Midlands, and the Spanish region of Catalonia. We consider the factors which shape firms’ ability to generate new products and processes and undertake various forms of organisational and structural change. We are particularly concerned with how firms collect the knowledge on which they base their innovation and their effectiveness in translating that knowledge into new innovations. Three main empirical conclusions result. First, US firms have more widespread links to external knowledge sources than those in Europe and notably the universities make a greater contribution to innovation in the US than in Europe. Second, UK firms prove more effective at capturing synergies between their innovation activities than US and Catalan firms. Third, firms’ operating environment proves more conducive to innovation in the US than in either the UK regions or Catalonia. Our results suggest the potential for mutual learning. For the UK there are lessons in terms of the way in which the universities in Georgia are supporting innovation. For firms in Georgia and in Catalonia the potential lessons are more strategic or organisational and relate to how they can better capture potential synergies between their innovation activities.

Openness, knowledge, innovation and growth in UK business services

We explore the causal links between service firms' knowledge investments, their innovation outputs and business growth based on a bespoke survey of around 1100 UK service businesses. We combine the activity based approach of the innovation value chain with firms' external links at each stage of the innovation process. This introduces the concept of 'encoding' relationships through which learning improves the effectiveness of firms' innovation processes. Our econometric results emphasise the importance of external openness in the initial, exploratory phase of the innovation process and the significance of internal openness (e.g. team working) in later stages of the process. In-house design capacity is strongly linked to a firm's ability to absorb external knowledge for innovation. Links to customers are important in the exploratory stage of the innovation process, but encoding linkages with private and public research organisations are more important in developing innovation outputs. Business growth is related directly to both the extent of firms' service innovation as well as the diversity of innovation, reflecting marketing, strategic and business process change.

Dynamic learning as entrepreneurial action in the context of open innovation:an instrumental case from a communities-of-practice perspective

Recent scholarly discussion on open innovation put forward the notion that an organisation's ability to internalise external knowledge and learn from various sources in undertaking new product development is crucial to its competitive performance. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to how growth-oriented small firms identify and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities (i.e. take entrepreneurial action) related to such development, in an open innovation context, from a social learning perspective. This chapter, based on an instrumental case-firm, demonstrates analytically how learning as entrepreneurial action takes place, drawing on situated learning theory. It is argued that such learning is dynamic in nature and is founded on specific organising principles that foster both inter- and intracommunal learning. © 2012, IGI Global.