Learning Based Innovation: Lessons Learned from Finnish Police and Technology Organizations

This is an Open access book which examines learning-based innovation (LBI) in working life. It presents innovation as a continuous process embedded in the everyday practices of organizations, shaped by the competence, learning, and participation of employees, and made visible through diverse projects, outcomes, and value creation. The book offers four learning-based perspectives on innovation activities, focusing on innovation actors and the roles they construct, the nature of the competence and learning practices required for innovation, LBI projects and their multifaceted value creation, as well as the challenges of innovation and workplace pedagogical approaches to addressing them. The work is based on the EDLI – Employee-Driven Learning and Innovation – research project (2022–2025), drawing on empirical data from two Finnish organizations: the police and a technology-sector organization. The book makes a scientific contribution to research on workplace learning and (employee-driven) innovation, offering rich empirical examples and new theoretical insights for researchers and students. At the same time, it provides accessible perspectives and practical ideas for practitioners in working life, including working-life experts, leaders, and employees.