1.2. Self-Organisation and Territorial Dynamics
The environment of the firm is a heterogeneous reality that embodies multiple dimensions
(territorial location, business networks, political-institutional regimes) and different scales
(local, regional, national, global).
The territory where the firm is integrated may also be seen as a complex system where
interactions among close firms, not only in what regards geographical proximity, but also in
what concerns the technical, organisational and cultural related aspects (Sierra, 1997),
strengthened by a dynamic local labour market (Capello, 1999) are at the origin of collective
learning that springs from a self-organising process (Garnsey and Longhi, 1999).
In spite of the great diversity of spatial polarisation processes, industrial and regional
economics have somehow been converging for the last years in the study of territorial systems
(Rallet and Torre, 1995). From a wide range of research two theoretical streams stand out, the
‘industrial districts’, from a marshallian inspiration (Becattini, 1979), and the ‘millieux
innovateurs’ (Ratti et al, 1997), among other contributions. More than one decade of research
gives some insight whilst allowing to trace elements of convergence in those streams. In light
of this, we deem useful to point out the following ones:
• Recognising that the articulation between the territorial system and the global
economy is a most decisive element for developing the former one. Becattini and
Rullani (1995) explicitly mention that a local productive system cannot exist/subsist
without seeking to integrate itself in trans-territorial networks as they spread formal
learning (from the outside) and tacit learning (contextual). Or, according to Camagni
(1995:204): “... being able to exploit external energy, in the form of technological,
organisational and commercial information, is crucial”;
• Recognising that the evolution of the territorial systems is conditioned by its
aptitude for creating new productive abilities and the correspondant organisational
strategies (Courlet and Dimou, 1995). In spite of focusing upon the ‘milieux
innovateurs’, Camagni (1995) also refers that in the milieux also operate
mechanisms with negative effects, namely the ‘lock-in’ effect, capable of blocking
the acquisition of new forms of learning. In this sense other authors (Asheim, 1996;
Maskell and Malmberg, 1999) have also stressed the importance of the
schumpeterian idea of ‘readiness for creative un-learning’;