The Influence of Relational Learning of a Transnational Egocentric Network on Innovation Competence for Internationalization

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the influence of a transnational egocentric network on the innovation competence for internationalization for a transnational focal organization—considered one of the main players in the telecommunications sector worldwide. The theoretical–empirical framework relies on the perspectives of innovation, relational learning, and relational embeddedness in inter-organizational networks. With regard to methodology, the design chosen for this research was data collection, since it deals with relational data treated dyadically, using the network analysis technique to identify the egocentric network configuration with the use of UCINET software. We conclude that the studied network is oriented toward innovation and the analyzed variables show a high degree of complexity, especially in relation to the wide-reaching treatment of innovation as overlapping with the traditional indicators and with an emphasis on technology or research and development. In this sense, the main contribution of this research is to show that the traditional conception of organizational competence as an internal resource can be extended to the perspective of relational embeddedness by considering innovation for internationalization as an inter-organizational level of competence, creating the need to undertake new studies that will complement the explanatory power, in addition to the learning dimensions, that are contemplated in this research.