Community of Practice as a Source of Dynamic Capability in Academy-Industry Collaboration - A Case Study

Abstract

This article examines the potential of a community of practice (CoP) to generate the dynamic capability of organisations in an academy industry collaboration. This case study was carried out within the Northern Research and Innovation Platform (NRIP), which is a university‐led open CoP in northern Finland that was established to intensify academy‐industry collaboration in the field of environment, energy and natural resources. Our article provides new empirical evidence regarding the potential of working in a CoP to create dynamic capability. We analysed the experiences of the members participating in the NRIP in promoting academyindustry collaboration. The participants' expectations and gained benefits were categorised under four themes: (1) potential collaboration, (2) increasing overall and specific knowledge, (3) dialogue from a business point of view and (4) strong regional relevance. Our findings indicate that although the experiences of working in the NRIP were mainly positive, the forum was not designed to be company‐oriented. Instead, the universities and the research organisations benefitted the most. While universities and public organisations engage in discussions at an abstract level, companies value more concrete tasks and measureable results. We also noticed that companies, unlike universities, do not have the mechanisms with which to take advantage of the knowledge and utilise it to enhance their dynamic capability. It is also important to note that this data clearly shows that cooperation is considered a key resource factor and an opportunity, particularly in regions that are not obviously attractive growth centres. Cooperation is therefore considered important to the vitality of rural areas' development. In its current form, the CoP merely benefits universities and other research institutes; therefore, we recommend that the focus should be on developing the CoP to be more company‐oriented.