Technological strategies: influences of exploration and exploitation on relational capital

This paper examines the relative importance and significance of technological systems on the learning processes of exploration and exploitation and their effects on the creation of relational capital. This is done through an empirical investigation of 151 Small- to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) belonging to the Spanish technological and information systems sector using structural equation models validated by factor analysis. The results indicate that the technological system is more meaningful in the exploration learning process than in the exploitation process. Furthermore, this investigation establishes that applications and technologies must support existing learning processes between employees and customers as a prior step, rather than exploitation learning among employees.