Learning, Innovation, and the Change of Work

Introduction

Learning in work relations resulting in knowledge and competences has become central in understanding dynamics of innovation at enterprise level as well as society level. The development took its starting point in the theoretical discussion of innovation and the nature of innovation processes in the economy. Here OECD was a main contributor to the discussion of the importance of scientific knowledge as a productive factor related to enterprise innovations (Lundvall 2008b). The argument was that scientifically based findings could be transformed into technological inventions as prototypes and ultimately to new goods or services on the market. In this approach, the knowledge is created in learning environments characterized by highly educated actors using scientific methods not directly related to methods and knowledge used in production. The approach is called the linear or scientific-based approach to innovation, and it dominated the understanding up to the early 1990s....