Mapping Learning Practices for Innovation: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Innovation has become a necessity of the utmost importance in a world characterized by constant change, complex challenges and diverse requirements. Organizations innovate to adapt and improve their performance and competitiveness. To innovate continuously, organizations must adopt a learning dynamic to foster innovation. The learning organization is a lever for transformation that breaks with traditional management models in favor of resilience and operational agility. The learning organization adopts so-called learning practices that refer to several levels of learning: individual, team and organizational. The scientific literature includes a large body of research that examines the relationship between innovation and the learning organization, however the literature remains fragmented and dispersed over several studies. In addition, learning practices are not inventoried or organized according to the different levels of learning. On the theoretical level, the absence of an integrated model limits the understanding of the specific role of each practice and their collective contribution in a holistic perspective. On a practical level, the lack of a structured mapping of practices makes it difficult to identify levers for action, which complicates the adoption of effective strategies to support innovation. This systematic review aims to fill this gap by mapping learning practices that promote innovation. 344 research articles were initially identified, of which 42 were included at the end of the PRISMA 2020 research protocol. The results of this research made it possible to develop a corpus of learning practices and to identify the practices with the highest frequencies of occurrence, namely: leadership with 28.6% of the occurrence rate, the learning culture with 28.6%, teamwork and knowledge sharing with 21.5% and personal mastery with 14.3%. This systematic review of the literature provides a decision-making framework for managers to identify and prioritize the development of learning practices that strengthen the adoption of innovation.

Classification JEL: O31, D83

Paper type: Theoretical Research