Learning community in an innovation system

Learning Community is a way of shaping innovations – by learning of each other, give different perspectives and through reflection see different organizations in various ways.This paper is about how a learning community within the Innovation system Fiber Optic Valley is conducted. The group concists of people from 10 different organisations, both private and public, with a triple helix-design. 2-4 participants, mostly in a middle manager-position, is part of the group who meets twice a year as a whole group.Methodology from Action Research has been used in framing the processes. Especially Action learning (McGill &amp; Brockbank 2004) has given both a theoretical basis and methods for building on the relationship between reflection and action. By learning from experiences, through reflection, opens possibilities to reconsider past events, making sense of ones actions and find new ways of behaving at future events (ibid: 13).One example of joint knowledge is discussed; one of the participating organizations are in an inner circle with an outer circle as a reflecting team. The issue is to develop awareness about the workplace culture, through reflection and gender theoretical perspectives. The process gave insights about that particular organization, but also perspectives about the other 9 participating ones.The learning community is aiming at being a platform for knowledge production between practitioners, researchers and others (Senge &amp; Scharmer 2001). In order to create new knowledge you need a shared understanding for theory development, tools and practical knowledge as equally important parts and dependent on each other (ibid).Different kinds of reflecting teams, concentric circle (McGill &amp; Brockbank 2004) helps to create a space for reflection and challenge. By going deeper in an organisation, gives an opportunity do shared perspectives that can contribute to new insights and learning. In the Learning Community, interventions are welcome, from all of the group.Learning community is a part of an approach called Action-oriented Gender Research. It is placed in the intersection between practical equality work and gender research – with the so called doing gender-perspective (West &amp; Zimmerman 1987, Acker 1992).<p>Godkänd; 2010; 20110818 (ysko)