1,720,964 research outputs found
How does the interaction with parent university affect USO's exploration and exploitaton? A case-study in the robotic industry
No full textLiterature on university spin-offs (USOs) often focuses only on their birth and how this process can
be fostered by parent universities and incubators. Conversely, USOs’ growth stage and the role
played in this process by external organizations have been rarely investigated in literature. In this
paper we partially fill this research gap by analysing the relationships established by USOs in the
growth stage with different actors, such as parent universities and accelerators. Specifically, we
evaluate how these relationships may influence both USO’s exploration and exploitation, thus
providing a significant contribution to their long-run competitive advantage. We conducted a casestudy
on a USO operating in the robotics sector that relies on a research team for the core
technology development, and on an accelerator for commercial and legal services. We showed how
this USO entails a manifest-interactive pattern in which collaboration with the parent research team
may affect not only the first stages of exploration and exploitation, but also the USO’s long-run
exploration. In this sense, the contribution provided by the accelerator is not limited only to the
exploitation of the ideas initially developed by the USO, but also to the management of its long-run
exploration path. To provide a systematic framework of the dynamic relationship between USO,
parent university and accelerator, we apply the model proposed by Raisch et al. (2016) for corporate
spin-offs. We extended this model to show how USOs, differently from corporate spin-offs, may be
characterized by more structured growth processes, based on complex relationships with external
actors and several exploration-exploitation cycles. The present paper may provide a better
understanding of the USOs' growth process, clarifying the potential role of parent universities and
accelerators. Besides, this paper may support USOs managers to set up effective long-run
relationships with their parent research team, without losing their business focus
The impact of explorative and exploitative collaborations on SMEs innovative performance
No full textDespite the importance of SMEs for innovation activity, questions remain concerning the determinants of their innovative performance and the role of different types of collaboration and partners. The present paper empirically analyzes the role played by different types of R&D collaborations in the persistence of SME innovative performance. We used a longitudinal database to identify all the Swedish SMEs that launched significant product innovations in the ICT market in the 1990-2019 period, in combination with collected data on the R&D collaborations established by these SMEs. Through several dynamic panel data regression models, we point out how SME innovative performance is significantly affected by R&D collaborations with large firms and universities. Crucially, we show how the impact of these collaborations differs depending on the nature of these relationships. In doing so, the present paper offers insights into the relationships between SMEs and universities, and open innovation strategies
The impact of explorative and exploitative collaborations on the innovative capability of Swedish ICT SMEs
No full textWho wants to stand on my shoulders? The development of technological trajectories in nascent industries
No full textStanding on the shoulders of others: The role of universities and individual inventors in firms’ exploration of general-purpose technologies
No full textStanding on the shoulders of others: The role of universities and individual inventors in firms’ exploration of general-purpose technologies.
No full textNavigating Dead Ends: The Role of Organization-Level Search Strategies in General Purpose Technology Ecosystems
No full textThe development of emerging General-Purpose Technologies (GPTs) is fraught with uncertainty, particularly in identifying promising knowledge recombinations and application areas. Technological progress can stall when firms, universities, and independent inventors pursue “dead ends” in their search strategies, disrupting the trajectory of follow-up innovations. While prior research has largely examined GPT evolution at a macro level, this study investigates how the search strategies of each actor influence these trajectories. Focusing on Wearable Haptics Technology (WHT) as an emerging GPT, we analyze 1,261 patent-applicant pairs to explore the impact of knowledge recombination strategies. Our findings reveal that patents exploring entirely new technological domains are less likely to catalyze follow-up inventions. In contrast, patents that incorporate novel knowledge within the existing WHT ecosystem are more likely to drive subsequent innovation. This study highlights how strategic choices in knowledge search can either impede or facilitate the development of emerging GPTs
Standing on the shoulders of others: The role of universities and individual inventors in firms’ exploration of general-purpose technologies
No full textFirms often seek innovative paths for their products to effectively satisfy market demand. Such exploration entails venturing beyond existing resources and knowledge boundaries, but its uncertainty and costs push many firms to favor exploitation over exploration. This attitude may discourage innovation, as firms tend to capitalize on others’ successful exploration outcomes, rather than embarking on their own (Levinthal & March, 1993). To mitigate uncertainty, firms leverage collaborative efforts with ecosystem players, such as other firms, universities and research institutions (URIs), and individuals (Peeters et al., 2020). Yet, a more comprehensive view of how firms manage these partnerships to prioritize exploration is missing.
A salient case for investigating firms’ exploration is offered by General Purpose Technologies (GPTs), characterized by several possible application areas. Nevertheless, the identification of the most profitable application areas is highly uncertain for emerging and science-based GPTs. This recombination effort is expected to be highly reliant on other ecosystem players, as the capabilities required to be effective in devising novel application areas differ quite significantly from those required to develop new technology (Messeni Petruzzelli et al., 2023).
This paper analyses the exploration dynamics within the wearable haptic technology (WHT), which facilitates tactile interactions through skin-contact devices (Pacchierotti et al., 2017). Initially designed for visually-impaired individuals, WHT applications cover several areas, including telemedicine and gaming. Bucaioni et al. (2023) identify all WHT patents, discussing its GPT nature and relationship with science. The present paper focuses on 699 WHT patents filed by 433 firms, resulting in 735 patent-firm pairs (due to co-patenting between firms). This unit of analysis has been categorized on exploration levels using IPC codes. Firms engaging in “global exploration” introduce novel IPC codes in WHT, while “local exploration” and “exploitation” involve varying degrees of familiarity with existing IPC codes.
Through a 2-stage analysis, the research aims at unveiling the drivers of firm exploration and its subsequent impact on exploitation within WHT. Key variables include the firm’s prior invention scope and utilization of academic knowledge in patent development.
This study enriches the literature on firm exploration in the context of emerging GPTs, clarifying the role played by other firms, URIs, and individual inventors
The impact of explorative and exploitative collaborations on the innovative capability of Swedish ICT SMEs
No full textStanding on the shoulders of others: The role of universities and individual inventors in firms’ exploration of general-purpose technologies
No full textFirms explore novel applications for new or existing products and technologies to identify market opportunities and tailor their offerings to effectively meet customer needs (Carlsson, 2016). Such exploration has been defined as the search beyond the existing resources, knowledge, and capabilities of the firm (Katila & Ahuja, 2002), potentially leading to the development of new-to-the-world innovation (Ahuja & Lampert, 2001). However, exploration comes with high technical and commercial uncertainty, as well as knowledge spill-outs, while costs and risks are incurred by the firm (Levinthal & March, 1993). This trade-off may lead many firms to avoid exploration and rather exploit the results of successful exploration carried out by other organizations, hence reducing the overall development of new ideas, technologies, products, or markets. At this aim, existing literature has emphasized how firms can reduce the uncertainty associated with developing new technologies by leveraging efforts of other ecosystem players, such as other firms, universities and research institutions (URIs), and even individual inventors. Existing work has considered how firms establish collaborations with academics to explore new technological fields (Peeters et al., 2020) and boost inventive performance (Colen et al., 2022). Yet, a more comprehensive view of how firms leverage efforts of other ecosystem players to engage in exploration rather than exploitation is missing.
A salient case for investigating firms’ exploration behavior is offered by General Purpose Technologies (GPTs), which are characterized by high possibilities for recombination in terms of application areas. Nevertheless, the identification of the most profitable application areas is highly uncertain for emerging and science-based GPTs (Messeni Petruzzelli et al., 2023). This recombination effort is expected to be highly reliant on other ecosystem players, as the capabilities required to be effective in devising novel application areas and commercialization differ quite significantly from those required to develop new science (Gambardella & McGahan, 2010)
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