Showing papers by "Walter W. Powell published in 2010"
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine eleven regions in the U.S. that were rich in resources - ideas, money, and skills - that could have lead to the formation of life science clusters.
Abstract: Most research on the emergence of high-tech clusters samples on successful cases, and works backwards to trace a narrative, often highlighting the role of specific individuals or groups. Our approach begins with the formation of a new field - biotechnology in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and follows the field to the present. We emphasize the sequence of network formation, and the importance of organizational diversity and catalytic organizations that provide relational and normative glue. We examine eleven regions in the U.S. that were rich in resources - ideas, money, and skills - that could have lead to the formation of life science clusters. Three of the communities formed robust groupings, but most did not. Although local details are always relevant, our argument transcends the nuances of history in each community to specify the processes and mechanisms that foster catalytic growth. The necessary conditions are a diversity of for-profit, nonprofit, and public organizations, a local anchor tenant, and a dense web of local relationships. These features make possible cross-network transposition, whereby experience, status, and legitimacy in one domain are converted into ‘fresh’ action in another. The argument does not hinge on specific types of organizations or ingredients; indeed, it is general enough to accommodate multiple pathways.
118 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw on literatures in economics, innovation studies, management, and sociology to posit explanations for the resurgence of collective efforts by networks of inventors, distributed across organizations and spanning distant locations.
Abstract: Collective invention occurs when competing organizations share knowledge about the design and development of new technologies. Such exchange and circulation of ideas and practices among communities of inventors was relatively common in the nineteenth century, most notably in geographically localized industrial districts. This collective system of innovation was eclipsed in the early and mid-twentieth century by the rise to prominence of the large corporate R&D lab. Recent decades, however, have seen the decline of stand-alone, internal corporate labs and the resurgence of collective efforts by networks of inventors, distributed across organizations and spanning distant locations. We draw on literatures in economics, innovation studies, management, and sociology to posit explanations for this recent rise. Suggestive additional evidence is provided from comparative analyses of patent data from the 1970s and the present decade.
84 citations