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Digital technologies, learning capacity of the organisation and innovation EU-wide empirical evidence from a combined dataset

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  • Nathalie Greenan

    (LIRSA - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de recherche en sciences de l'action - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université, CEET - Centre d'études de l'emploi et du travail - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche - Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Santé, TEPP - Travail, Emploi et Politiques Publiques - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Silvia Napolitano

    (LIRSA - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de recherche en sciences de l'action - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université, CEET - Centre d'études de l'emploi et du travail - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche - Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Santé)

  • Imad El Hamma

    (LIRSA - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de recherche en sciences de l'action - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université, CEET - Centre d'études de l'emploi et du travail - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche - Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Santé, TEPP - Travail, Emploi et Politiques Publiques - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of digitalisation and organisational practices on innovation in Europe, between 2010 and 2016. We analyse the cross-country and industry differences in firms' investments and capabilities to adopt and use new technologies and their effects on innovation outputs. Along with traditional drivers of innovation, such as R&D expenditure, two indicators are constructed. One encompasses direct measures of the adoption and use in enterprises of a set of digital technologies. The other measures the learning capacity of organisations, which captures the use of management tools and organisational practices concerned with the improvement of individual and organisational learning. Product, process, organisational and marketing innovations are identified as well as their combination in the company, in order to explore possible synergies between them. Empirical evidence is provided by a unique dataset based on the integration at the sector within country level of EU-wide employers' and employees' surveys: the Community Innovation Survey, the Community ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises surveys (Eurostat) and the European Working Conditions Survey (Eurofound). The descriptive evidence shows that Digital technologies adoption and use is rapidly growing across Europe while the Learning capacity of organisations remains stagnant. By contrast, our results from the econometric analysis show that their interaction has positive effects on innovations. In particular, a mix of product/process innovations with organisational/marketing innovations rests on joint investments in R&D, digital technology adoption and use and learning capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathalie Greenan & Silvia Napolitano & Imad El Hamma, 2022. "Digital technologies, learning capacity of the organisation and innovation EU-wide empirical evidence from a combined dataset," Working Papers halshs-03941735, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-03941735
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-03941735
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Digital technologies; learning capacity; innovation; knowledge production function; data integration of employers’ and employees’ surveys;
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