Technological learning in inter-firm collaborations: a review and research agenda

Abstract

Based on the rapid pace of technological changes in the present era, many organisations have come to the conclusion that they have no choice other than cooperating with each other in order to gain knowledge. Technological learning in inter-firm collaboration has turned into a necessity for many organisations. However, organisations have a rudimentary knowledge about its process and the way it materialises. In this review, in order to understand the process of technological learning better, papers with the following characteristics are searched for: 1) they should discuss the process of technological learning; 2) they should have inter-firm collaboration as the level of analysis for their models. As a result, six models were found which are investigated here. First, each of the models is introduced. Then, the level and the definition of technological learning are discussed based on the model. Different models approximately imply the same definition of inter-firm technological learning, however, the level of technological learning in them is different. This review highlights directions for future research with the aim of advancing the literature on inter-firm technological learning.