Title: Learning to strategise innovative services: the role of system dynamics

Authors: Gerhard P. Gudergan, Siegfried P. Gudergan

Addresses: Research Institute for Operations Management, Aachen University of Technology, Pontdriesch 14/16, D-52062 Aachen, Germany. ' School of Marketing and Research Centre of Innovative Collaborations, Alliances & Networks, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia

Abstract: A number of studies from a management perspective distinguish various types and levels of learning. The extent to which actual management decisions take into account such frameworks and lead to innovative services is limited. Increasingly, organisations address these issues by employing system dynamics modelling and simulation (SDMS) with the aim to facilitate learning about industrial service aspects and, ultimately, to offer innovative industrial services. Yet, there is no explicit research assessing the extent to which the employment of SDMS enhances learning in industrial service organisations. The goal of this paper is to investigate this. More specifically, in this paper we link SDMS aspects to critical reflective learning as an antecedent factor of innovation. We provide support for our proposed linkages with a case study, in which we illustrate the effects of SDMS on critical reflective learning within the context of an organisation, which has employed SDMS when developing industrial service strategies.

Keywords: innovation management; critical reflective learning; system dynamics; modelling; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2004.004880

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2004 Vol.1 No.3, pp.227 - 239

Published online: 14 Jul 2004 *

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