What kind of knowledge can a firm absorb?

International Journal of Technology Management

Volumn 18, Issue 3-4, 1999, Pages 149-172

  Mangematin, Vincent ^a,b   Nesta, Lionel ^a,b  

^a UNIV GRENOBLE ALPES   (France)

^b Natl Inst of Agronomic Research   (France)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CONTRACTS; INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS; INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT; SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS;

ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY; KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER; RESEARCH CONTRACT;

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER;

EID: 0032596829     PISSN: 02675730     EISSN: None     Source Type: None    
DOI: 10.1504/ijtm.1999.002771     Document Type: Article

References (30)

1. Cohen, W.M. and Levinthal, D.A. (1989) 'Innovation and learning: the two faces of R&D', Economic Journal, Vol. 99, pp.569-596.
2. Rosenberg, N. (1990) 'Why do companies do basic research with their own money'? Research Policy, Vol. 19, pp. 165-174.
3. Their model needs further discussion. First, Cohen and Levinthal postulate that the level of the knowledge absorbed by the firm is linked to its R&D investments, other firms R&D in the same sector, a fraction of knowledge in public domain. But their model does not specify which variable is to be maximized. Second, the absorptive capacity is totally determined by the volume of internal R&D, whereas in a more recent version (Cohen, W.M. and Levinthal, D.A. (1990) 'Absorbtive capacity, a new perspective of learning and innovation', Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35, pp.128-152.) the authors themselves point out the crucial role of other knowledge available in the firm (p.128.) For more details, see S. Lhuillery [4].
4. Lhuillery, S. (1996) 'Recherche et développement et transferts de connaissances technologiques', in CREI. Université Paris Nord, Paris.
5. Arora, A. and Gambardella, A. (1994) 'Evaluating technological information and utilizing it: scientific knowledge, technological capability and external linkages in biotechnology', Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp.91-114.
6. Henderson, R. and Clarck, K. (1990) 'Architectural innovation: the reconfiguration of existing product technologies and the failure of established firms', Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35, pp.9-30.
7. Henderson, R. and Cockburn, I. (1994) 'Measuring competence? Exploring firm effects in pharmaceutical research', Strategic management Journal, Vol. 15, pp.63-84.
8. As its scientific capability increases, the firm will select fewer projects with higher returns.
9. See also Kogut, B. and Zander, U. (1992) 'Knowledge of the firm and the replication of technology', Organization Science, and also Itami, H. (1987) Mobilizing Invisible Assets, Cambridge, MA, Havard University Press.
10. See also Kogut, B. and Zander, U. (1992) 'Knowledge of the firm and the replication of technology', Organization Science, and also Itami, H. (1987) Mobilizing Invisible Assets, Cambridge, MA, Havard University Press.
11. Hatchuel, A. and Weil, B. (1992) 'L'expert et le système', Economica, Paris, p.263.
12. Saviotti, P. (1994) 'Knowledge, information and organizational structure', Eleventh International Economic History Congress, Milan.
13. Polanyi, M. (1967) The Tacit Dimension, ed. A. Doubleday, New York.
14. Hicks, D. (1995) Published Papers, Tacit Competencies and Corporate Management of the Public/Private Character of Knowledge, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp.401-24.
15. Nonaka, I. (1994) 'A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation', Organization Science, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.14-37.
16. Cowan, R. and Foray, D. (1997) The Economics of Codification and the Diffusion of Knowledge, MERIT, Maastricht.
17. CNRS means National Center of Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique). It is France's largest research institute, with a staff of around 31,000 (5,000 foreign researchers) spread over 1,500 laboratories. Like the CSIRO in Australia, its mission is twofold. On the one hand, it participates in the production of new knowledge along with the scientific community. On the other hand, it must promote the diffusion of scientific and technological knowledge within industrial firms. In this paper, CNRS research units are considered as knowledge sources.
18. Grossetti, M. (1995) Science, Industrie et Territoire, Presses Universitaires du Mirail, Coll, Socio-logiques, p.309.
19. Publication could also indicate the fundamental nature of the transferred knowledge. We do not take such a measure into account. Firstly, Narin's classification of scientific reviews suggests that scientific papers do not necessarily concern fundamental research. Secondly, R&D contracts can serve many purposes. Publications by the laboratory concerning knowledge developed during R&D contracts may concern the scientific community more than the industrial partner itself.
20. As we observed in the previous section, people accumulate tacit knowledge over time. The transfer of persons between two organizations thus implies the exchange of tacit knowledge: "Since by its very nature tacit knowledge cannot be written down, it must be acquired by example or experience, that is in 'person-embodied' form. ⋯ Personal interaction or movement is the only channel (for the most part) by which tacit knowledge can be transferred", in Senker J. (1995) 'Networks and tacit knowledge in innovation', Economies et Sociétés, série W, No. 2, Dynamique technologique et organization, pp.99-118.
21. Between 1982 and 1992, the CNRS has multiplied its R&D contracts by ten.
22. Like previous contributions, the measure of the absorptive capacity focuses on the R&D structure of the firm. However, such a focus could be extended to other indicators, such as the level of education of all members of the firm, its organizational design, the number of inter-organizational alliances, etc. Such a focus emphasizes the relationship between the concepts of the absorptive capacity and the knowledge base of an organization.
23. We do not enter the discussion of knowledge disclosure by private firms. Other economists have already shown that firms do indeed publish [2,13].
24. Foray, D. (1991) 'Repères pour une économie des organisations de la recherche-développement', Revue d'Economie Industrielle, Vol. 101, No. 5, pp.780-808.
25. Even if scientific uncertainties are substantially resolved (i.e. by scientific capability), there are still technological and commercial uncertainties to be resolved, (i.e. by technological capability). Arora and Gambardella [5, p.94].
26. Senker, J. (1996) 'Networks, tacit knowledge and innovation, in Technological Collaboration, The Dynamics of Cooperation in Industrial Innovation, (Eds) Coombs, R., Saviotti, P.P. and Walsh, V., Cheltenham, UK; Brookfield, US, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, pp.76-97.
27. This perspective has been more extensively studied by Joly, Lemarié and Mangematin when they identify three different relational logics. See: Joly, P.B., Lemarié S., and Mangematin V. (1998) 'Coordination de la recherche et apprentissage relationel: Une analyse empirique des contrats entre un organisme de recherche public et des firmes industrielles'. Revue Economique, (forthcoming).
28. Indeed, a X-square test shows that such a conjecture is actually relevant in our sample.
29. Tsoukas, H. (1996) 'The firm as a distributed knowledge system', Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 17 (Winter Special Issue), pp.11-25.
30. March, J. (1991) 'Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning', Organization Science, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.71-87.