Corporate_universities-.pdfVIP

Corporate universities: driving force of knowledge innovation Martijn Rademakers Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to explain the rapid emergence of corporate universities on the basis of fundamental developments presently shaping the economy and society on a world-wide scale. Design/methodology/approach – Four key forms of innovation are identified and combined with the corporate university concept. The paper explains why corporate universities are emerging world-wide as strategic weapons in the competitive battle among companies, countries and international economic power blocs. Findings – Companies endorsing the importance of knowledge innovation cannot get around the corporate university concept as part of their strategy. Three major corporate university types are identified and linked to their strategic role as the driving force of knowledge innovation. Originality/value – Helps to explain why corporate universities have evolved as an answer to the challenge of competing in a knowledge-driven economy. Keywords Knowledge management, Innovation, Competitive advantage Paper type General review Introduction The rapid rise of corporate universities since the early 1990s has proved to be more than just another management fashion. Corporate universities have evolved from mere training departments to vehicles of integrated knowledge transfer, exchange and innovation – both within and between organizations. The increasing popularity of corporate universities can be understood by placing them against the backdrop of a broad trend within the economy and society known as the “third wave” (see Toffler, 1980; Naisbitt, 1982). This wave has transformed industrialized economies around the world into knowledge- and information-driven societies, forcing organizations to adjust constantly and renew their knowledge base (cf. Boisot, 1998). The start of the third wave has been traced back to the 1950s, when efficient and effective infor