An Organizational Learning Approach to Product Innovation

Abstract

This article examines product innovation as an organizational learning process. It provides a framework allowing managers and scholars to relate product‐innovation learning skills to organizational goals. Daryl McKee shows how different types of organizational learning skills are involved in incremental innovation, discontinuous innovation and institutionalization of innovation within the organization. This conceptualization can help scholars and managers diagnose an organization's learning skills and how they relate to new product management; direct the organization toward learning more efficient and effective product innovation; and provide scholars with a structure for future research.