Creating a regional learning environment for accelerating company development and growth

This paper sets out the research and thinking associated with the development of a proposal to use a Regional Identity Collaborative model as a long-term solution to accelerate the development and growth of industrial companies. The issue of industry support for development and growth was identified in research interviews and discussion with companies in the Moorabbin project - a regional industry development research project being conducted in the Moorabbin area of Melbourne, Australia. The paper is presented in the context of using systems thinking and learning organization theory in a regional structure. The paper uses the results and experiences of the Moorabbin project research to define the perimeter of the situation in the region. It then draws on people and organizational learning behaviour to develop a Regional Industry Collaborative model to support companies in the region. The paper concludes with a review of the potential of the trial implementation of the model and identifies some of the impediments and critical success factors for the implementation of the model.