The objective of this article is to assess the implications of systems architecture on the establishment of organizational learning cycles, and its influence on possible forms of process integration. Dynamics of innovation of complex systems do not follow the pattern of mass-production industries. In complex systems industries there is no dominant design and each new product generation remains in a fluid phase. This article focuses on analysis of the dynamic phenomena that occur when a system performs its functions within the operational environment. By considering successive generations of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) platform as a case study a stylized cognitive model is presented. It is argued that learning by using is practice-oriented epistemology to the extent that it requires the reflective confrontation of a previous stock of knowledge with that derived from praxis, which is concrete, dynamic and relational. Knowledge generation derived from learning by using - tacit and explicit - crystallizes a common knowledge base, allowing the refinement of subsystems designs and interfaces through successive generation of products. Systems integration capability building requires a project-based organization in order to merge operating and learning processes in a multifunctional framework.
innovation in complex systems; procedural knowledge; systems integration capabilities; emergent properties; learning by using
