Journal ArticleDOI
Organizing for knowledge generation: internal knowledge networks and the contingent effect of external knowledge sourcing
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TLDR
It is found that external sourcing strategies are less effective when firms can already internally generate new knowledge or if they have high internal coordination costs, therefore, when considering external sourcing, managers must carefully weigh the benefits of it vis-a-vis its commensurate costs.Abstract:
Research summary: When faced with a new technological paradigm, incumbent firms can opt for internal development and/or external sourcing to obtain the necessary new knowledge. We explain how the effectiveness of external knowledge sourcing depends on the properties of internal knowledge production. We apply a social network lens to delineate interpersonal, intra-firm knowledge networks and capture the emergence of two important firm-level properties: the incumbent's internal potential for knowledge recombination and the level of knowledge coordination costs. We rely on firm-level internal knowledge networks to dynamically track the emergence of these properties across 106 global pharmaceutical companies over a 25-year time period. We find that a firm's success in developing knowledge in a new technological paradigm using external knowledge sourcing is contingent on these internal knowledge properties.
Managerial summary: Incumbent firms in high-tech industries often face competence-destroying technological change. In their effort to adapt and develop new knowledge in a novel paradigm, incumbent firms have several corporate strategy options available to them: internal knowledge development and a wide array of external knowledge sourcing strategies, including alliances and acquisitions. In this study, we make an effort to address a critical question: How effective is external knowledge sourcing under different internal knowledge generation regimes? We find that external sourcing strategies are less effective when firms can already internally generate new knowledge or if they have high internal coordination costs. Therefore, when considering external sourcing, managers must carefully weigh the benefits of it vis-a-vis its commensurate costs as the benefits of external sourcing may be overstated. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.read more
Citations
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An analysis of the relationship between knowledge management and project performance: literature review and conceptual framework
TL;DR: Investigating the central themes of knowledge management in the project context, exploring the relationship between knowledge management and project performance and identifying the main strategies to deal with tacit and explicit knowledge.
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Knowledge management practices and innovation: A deliberate innovation management model for SMEs
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose and test a deliberate innovation management model for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reconciling the "cognition-action" logic underlying the knowledge management and innovation lite.
Book ChapterDOI
Immersive Technologies and Smart Cities in ASEAN: Discovering the Future Innovation Challenges
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How organizational boundary choices impact capability development
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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology
Bruce Kogut,Udo Zander +1 more
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Myopia of learning
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the ways organizations approach these problems through simplification and specialization and how those approaches contribute to three forms of learning myopia, the tendency to overlook distant times, distant places, and failures, and identify some ways in which organizations sustain exploration in the face of a tendency to overinvest in exploitation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Technological Discontinuities and Organizational Environments
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