Developing green process innovation through network action learning

Abstract

Green process innovation is itself a complex process and beneficially involves inter‐organizational collaboration across disciplinary, industry and university‐industry boundaries with many opportunities for network action learning. We investigate how green process innovation yields actionable knowledge when co‐directed, co‐developed and co‐deployed in a network of organizations. We undertook two case studies focused on innovation at the water‐energy nexus. With the use of action learning research, we describe and reflect on the actions undertaken by the network to co‐generate learning from green process innovation. We demonstrate how this inter‐organizational learning is grounded in shared experiences, subjected to critical questioning and supported by (and generating) actionable knowledge. Our paper links the green process innovation process with technical and collaborative learning outcomes, achieved through network action learning. Of managerial relevance are two forms of actionable knowledge: that towards solving engineering puzzles and that addressing the problem of collaboration and learning in networks.