The learning organization as a context for value co-creation

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between the concept of the learning organization and that of the co-creation of value. Design/methodology/approach The paper is conceptual in nature and draws on data from a case study of a small highly innovative Australian company. Findings The authors show that, from a value co-creation perspective, the learning organization can be viewed as an open, collaborative, social/economic actor engaged in social/economic activities with other interdependent actors (organizations or stakeholders) in a network or ecosystem of actors to serve its mission/purpose and the well-being of the ecosystem. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual paper, the authors rely primarily on previous research as the basis for the argument. The implications of the findings are that, as value co-creation practices are founded upon the generation and leveraging of specific intangible capital resources, more research located in alternative research paradigms is required. Practical implications There are important implications for organizational leadership in that the practices that underpin value co-creation require the leadership to be able to work constructively with multiple forms of systemic and agentic power. Social implications In increasingly turbulent and hyper-competitive global operational contexts, sustainable value creation is becoming recognized as a collective achievement within a broad eco-system of collaborators. This has implications for the relational capabilities of all collaborators. Originality/value The authors introduce a new perspective on the role of power management in the facilitation of the co-creation of value. Arguing that value creation is becoming recognized as a “collective achievement”, they focus on the collaborative practices that enable such an achievement.

Learning organizations and value creation

“…So, for practitioners, the impact of crowdsourcing on the organization is supportive, at least in the context of this study. And, this points to a theme from the Mastio et al (2020) article. As your work environment may be afflicted with changes in social distancing or remote working, retain close ties to those outside the organization.…”

“…(Rup ci c, 2020, pp. 277-289) Mastio et al (2020) in their article "The learning organization as a context for value cocreation," provide an integrated framework of a theory-in-use explanation of multi-level value co-creation. In the article, the authors trace the development of the relationship between a learning organization and sustainable value co-creation.…”

Guest editorial

“…Even though organizational learning could be viewed as a key process in the organizational value creation ensuring organizational development and viability, learning organization should first be considered as its context. That is why this special issue commences with the paper titled "The learning organization as a context for value cocreation" in which Mastio et al (2020) identify learning organizations as complex social constructs which can thrive in their ecosystem-wide opportunity identification, learning, value co-creation and final market realization or commercialization. Mastio et al (2020) suggest that value co-creation within the learning organization context is a synergistic result of endeavors on three levels: individual (micro-level), team/collective (meso-level) and organizational (macro-level).…”

“…That is why this special issue commences with the paper titled "The learning organization as a context for value cocreation" in which Mastio et al (2020) identify learning organizations as complex social constructs which can thrive in their ecosystem-wide opportunity identification, learning, value co-creation and final market realization or commercialization. Mastio et al (2020) suggest that value co-creation within the learning organization context is a synergistic result of endeavors on three levels: individual (micro-level), team/collective (meso-level) and organizational (macro-level). However, the ecosystem perspective points to the importance of various value co-creation practices in terms of opportunity identification followed by co-design and co-creation of value among various stakeholders based on collaborative learning and evolvement.…”

“…The concept of a learning organization co-creating value in its ecosystem is further elaborated by examining data from a case study of an innovative Australian manufacturer of "green" ventilation products for the building industry referred to as GreenCo. Mastio et al (2020) found that the key capability enabling innovation at GreenCo is its social capital developed as the interplay among its relevant stakeholdersemployees, customers, suppliers and even competitors. In that process, common vision of producing sustainable and environmentally friendly value permeates the ecosystem resulting not only in superior performance indicators but also in the alignment of personal and organizational purpose.…”