More Than What Was Asked for: Company Specific Competence Programs as Innovation Hothouses

The development of a company towards high-quality products and services demands higher skills among employees. Furthermore, companies providing extensive training are more likely to be productive and innovative. The question explored in this paper is how the demand for flexibility and high innovation rates in high-tech companies affects the choice of "making or buying" necessary skills. In order to study this, we have made use of organizational theory supported by empirical findings in two Norwegian companies experiencing the need for being flexible and facing challenges regarding increasing innovation pressure. Through our industry insights and specifically the case studies presented, we are led to conclude that in-house training programs contribute to build important prerequisites for flexible organizations with capability to innovate and change.