Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the interaction process between organizations of a knowledge network as a means to promote learning. In particular, the authors aim to answer the following research questions: how do dyadic and network relationships contribute to inter-organizational creation and transfer of knowledge? More specifically, which joint activities between organizations facilitate inter-organizational learning within a knowledge network? That is, the authors are interested in the relationship processes for inter-organisational learning, aiming to identify and understand the joint activities through which organizations within an institutional network generate and transfer knowledge. Design/methodology/approach Aiming at studying how six institutional actors generate and transfer knowledge, the existing dyadic relationships between a focal actor (a technological center of the textile and clothing industry – CITEVE) and each one of the other five institutional actors were studied. In the study of this knowledge network the authors analyzed several documental sources and carried out 19 interviews. Findings This study shows how dyadic and network relationships contribute to inter-organisational creation and transfer of knowledge. It assesses several joint activities through which organizations in the studied network learn with each other and compares the five dyadic relationships in terms of their distinctive features. Through the cooperative effort based on joint activities between actors, the studied network generates complementary and multidisciplinary knowledge aiming to promote network learning of the studied organizations. Management implications and suggestions for further research on network learning are discussed. Originality/value This paper adds to the literature on network learning and management by empirically illustrating how a network of organizations in a given industry contributes to knowledge generation. It is an original contribution because, first, it allows a better understanding of how organizations of a knowledge network interact and contribute for network learning. In particular, the paper identifies a large number of joint activities for inter-organizational learning in the context of a traditional industry. Second, the research shows empirically how such interaction and learning occur in practice within a network context that comprises only institutional actors.

The pressure on water supply systems is a real challenge for water utilities, which are entrusted with the responsibility to manage and operate those systems. Water utility engineers and managers make decisions based on data that are obtained from several information systems (IS), such as geographic information systems (GIS), billing, asset operation and maintenance or accounting. Most of the time, these IS result in data silos as a consequence of lack of machine communication protocols, common data formats or common meaning of exchanged content. On the other hand, the diversity of IS is a challenge to water utilities which struggle with data consistency and interoperability. In this context, water utility engineers and managers make decisions based on data which are often incomplete, inaccurate or out-of-date. In this paper, we present an IT platform that integrates data from different information systems, including tools to support decision-making on water supply systems (e.g., performance indicators, water, and energy balances). This platform, developed in collaboration with a representative set of Portuguese water utilities, allows water utilities to integrate their data and perform analysis of their systems. With this approach, we provide water utilities and water supervision agencies with the possibility to compute a unified set of metrics whatever the IS they use.