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Stretching the boundary: the possibilities of flexibility as an organizational capability in industrial ecology
Author(s) -
Boons Frank,
Berends Marjolein
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
business strategy and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.123
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1099-0836
pISSN - 0964-4733
DOI - 10.1002/bse.277
Subject(s) - flexibility (engineering) , organizational ecology , industrial ecology , product (mathematics) , business , knowledge management , boundary (topology) , ecology , industrial organization , sustainable development , new product development , group (periodic table) , process management , marketing , sustainability , management , computer science , economics , biology , mathematical analysis , geometry , mathematics , chemistry , organic chemistry
The concept of industrial ecology focuses on groups of firms and their stakeholders that interact to achieve sustainable development. This article presents a dynamic approach to the interaction within such networks of organizations. The literature on networks and group dynamics provides us with contradicting views on the extent to which learning is possible in a developing group of organizations. We assess these views, and apply them to three types of groups of firms: sectors of industry, product chains, and regionally defined groups. In addition, the necessary capabilities of individual organizations to learn within these contexts are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment