Abstract
Technological innovation, as a collaboration among inventors and complementary knowledge professionals, requires the management of knowledge boundaries and the integration of specialised tasks. We propose that dense collaborations among inventors and professionals facilitate the process of collaboration by reducing coordination cost and by mitigating the uncertainties inherent in technological innovation. In the empirical context of university technology commercialisation, we find that the relational density of three main actors, i.e. inventors, technology managers, and patent attorneys, enhances technology licensing, a major milestone in commercialisation. This occurs especially when the technological field is less institutionalised. Our study contributes to the literature on technological innovation by highlighting the role of interpersonal relations between inventors and complementary knowledge providers as a coordination mechanism in the innovation process.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1351-1363 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Technology Analysis and Strategic Management |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 Nov 2 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the UNIST Management of Technology Research Fund (2.170190.01) to Young-Choon Kim and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017S1A5A2A01025232) to Mooweon Rhee.
Funding Information:
The authors thank Editor and anonymous reviewers for constructive criticism and helpful guidance. They also thank Mr. Kyungbaek Min for his research assistance. This work was supported by the UNIST Management of Technology Research Fund (2.170190.01) to Young-Choon Kim and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017S1A5A2A01025232) to Mooweon Rhee.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Strategy and Management
- Management Science and Operations Research