Expansive learning towards Finnish-Chinese partnership in a cleantech company (2006-2013)

Objectives. Cleantech, as an emerging new industry, its development involves the influences from various aspects. As a small to medium-sized cleantech company, the activity in China can be very challenge to study holistically. This research is aimed to provide a holistic view of the challenges and possibilities of a small to medium-size cleantech company's activity in China from the expansive learning perspectives. The purpose of this research is threefold. Firstly, it analyzes the object and network to uncover the three historical phases of GreenStream's long trajectory leaning process. Secondly, it analyzes learning actions and contradictions to uncover the driving forces of development and the expansiveness of the activity. Thirdly, based on the historical analysis an analysis of expansive learning cycles is made, with the purpose to sketch the zone of proximal development across the learning cycles and address the future possibilities and challenges. Methods. The research case Company is GreenStream, a small to medium-sized Finnish cleantech company in China. 8 Interviewees were chose from the different parties involved in its China activity. 4 of the interviewees from the case company GreenStream, 1 interviewee from its Chinese partner, and 3 interviewees from the third parties. The data is firstly analyzed by the historical analysis, namely analysis of object of activity system and analysis of network, following the analysis of expansive learning cycles, namely analysis of learning steps and analysis of learning actions and analysis of developmental contradictions. The zone of proximal development is sketched based on the historical analysis and analysis of expansive learning cycles. Results and conclusions. Interesting findings emerge through the systematic analysis. Three historical analyses reveals the object and network transformed in 3 phases. The object has transformed in 3 historical phases with the unchanged main motivation, the evolving economic imperative, and other emerging forces from different element of the activity. The partnership activity emerged and consolidated with the network development. Object formation and network development thus form the criteria to divide the 3 historical phases from "Small Spark in China", to " Great Success in China" and then to "Standing on Two Feet in China". Analysis of expansive learning cycles reveals that the 3 historical phases contours 3 expansive learning cycles. The first learning cycle was disrupted, the second learning cycle completed and expanded, and the third learning cycle is under development. Each learning cycle has its own character, and within each learning cycle, different levels of contradictions emerged as the driving forces of the development of GreenStream. Through tracing different levels of contradictions through the 3 expansive learning cycles, the expansiveness of GreenStream's activity could be detected with regard to the expansion of the object and expansion over interruption. Object formation, partnership and policy over clean-tech industry become important three elements for the zone of proximal development of GreenStream's activity in China. Through the understanding of these dynamics and momentum of the China activity in the past and present by means of expansive learning aspects, the subject can better master and build the development of the activity system in the future