64 Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 50, No. 1, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Learning for innovation in high-technology small firms François Thérin U21Global, 5 Shenton Way, #01-01 UIC Building, Singapore 068808 E-mail: francois.therin@u21global.com Abstract: Most literature pertaining to organisational learning and performance remains conceptual. On the basis of theoretical findings reported in the previous strategic and knowledge management literature, the proposed model offers an empirical means to study the links among organisational learning, innovation and company performance. The derived constructs, applied to a sample of 110 high-tech small firms and used to test the model, indicate a positive relationship among the three factors; moreover, company age moderates these results. The paper concludes with recommendations regarding how to capture and share knowledge for small firm managers. Keywords: innovation; learning; high-tech small firms. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Thérin, F. (2010) ‘Learning for innovation in high-technology small firms’, Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp.64–79. Biographical notes: François Thérin is Associate Dean (Executive Education), Europe and Associate Professor at U21 Global. U21Global is a virtual learning business school created by a consortium of 17 universities from 12 countries. Prior to that, he was Associate Professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management, where he was teaching on strategy and technology management and founded the Centre for Technoentrepreneurship. He taught in France, Poland, Russia and Singapore and was a Visiting Professor at the Brisbane Graduate School of Business. His research interests are in the fields of innovation in high-tech small firms. He is the founder and editor of the International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship, also edited by Inderscience. 1 Introduction Managing knowledge and information may represent the main driver of sustainable competitive advantage for companies. Firms must adapt radically and compete globally, which means that competitiveness relates to a firm’s ability to learn faster than its competitors can (Easterby-Smith et al., 1998). Although the management of knowledge and learning clearly benefits the performance of high-tech small firms, to date, this subject has received little theoretical consideration or empirical validation in the actual context of small firms. This paper attempts to fill the research gap by considering knowledge management in this specific context, as well as how it relates to innovation and performance.