Amalya L. Oliver

Networking Network Studies: An Analysis of Conceptual Configurations in the Study of Inter-organizational Relationships

Given the recent accumulation of research on inter-organizational relations and networks and the current fragmentation of the field, it is time to take stock and explore the achievements of, and future challenges for, this field of study. On the basis of a network analysis of the 158 articles on inter-organizational relations and networks that were published in four leading journals from 1980 to 1996, this paper empirically explores the linkages among, and configurations of, core theories and concepts underlying earlier empirical research on inter-organizational relations and networks. We identify core, as well as peripheral, areas of research interest in the field and point out areas of overlap and consolidation. Moreover, our empirical analysis shows that the field segments into four substantive research perspectives, namely social network, power and control, institutional, and institutional economics and strategy clusters. In sum, we suggest an innovative, empirically grounded approach towards a literature review that aims at a synopsis of a field of study and highlights possibly fruitful avenues for future research.

Strategic Alliances and the Learning Life-Cycle of Biotechnology Firms:

Strategic alliances in the biotechnology industry are used as an inter-organizational learning device, in addition to their ability to provide financial resources, vertical and horizontal integration facilities, and legitimacy to dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs). However, despite the advantages associated with strategic alliances, the literature accounts for hazards and disadvantages as well. This paper analyzes the relationship between organizational life-cycle and the formation of strategic alliances based on a population of 554 new biotechnology firms (DBFs) in a 15-year period. Using event history analysis, this study tests two propositions: that the inability of DBFs to form strategic alliances will be associated with organizational death and that firm growth will make it possible to reduce network learning through alliances (exploration stage of learning), allowing the firm to enter a period of internalized learning (exploitation). These propositions are supported by the data. The findings showed that lack of alliances is associated with organizational death, that learning through alliances is not a cumulative process, and that firm life-cycle alliance formation is not linear. Although alliance-based learning is vital to biotechnology firms at the early stages of their formation, when learning is associated with exploration, at later phases of the life-cycle, learning is internally exploited through intrafirm networks. The results also provide some evidence that another phase of external, network based, learning follows.

Responses by Professional Organizations to Multiple and Ambiguous Institutional Environments: The Case of AIDS

In this paper we examine responses to multiple and ambiguous pressures gener ated by the environmental threat of AIDS. Using an institutional theory frame work and insights from professional dominance theory, we develop a two- dimensional typology, incorporating the belief systems of important constituents and the degree of institutional rules, to explain the patterns of organizational adoption of AIDS-related policies and related professional prac tices. Hypotheses are tested with data from a national survey of hospitals (n= 506), with interviews from administrators and chiefs of medicine. Results sup port the usefulness of the explanatory schema for patterns of organizational policy adoption; the schema also provides a stronger explanation of pro fessional behaviour patterns than does the existence of policies requiring such behaviour. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings for professional organizations in the context of environmental threats are discussed.

Controlling for size in centrality scores

Abstract All measures of centrality in graphs seem to be correlated with degree, the sheer number of connections of a position. There are occasions in which one wants a measure that is not necessarily related to degree but whose relationship to degree is an empirical finding. Existing corrections, which force a lack of correlation, or which have no statistical justification, are inadequate for this purpose. Based on an algorithm developed by Snijders (1991) [Snijders, T.A.B., 1991. Enumeration and simulation methods for 0-1 matrices with given marginals. Psychometrika 56, 397–417.], for generating random graphs with fixed marginals, we suggest a measure of centrality that is logically but not necessarily empirically independent of degree. We examine the measure using data from Davis (1941) [Davis, A., Gardner, B., Gardner, M.R., 1941. Deep South. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.] and Oliver (1993) [Oliver, A., 1993. New Biotechnology Firms: A Multilevel Analysis of Interorganizational Relations in an Emerging Industry. PhD dissertation, Univ. of California, Los Angeles.].

A System Cybernetic Approach to the Dynamics of Individual- and Organizational-Level Trust

In this article, we argue that trust is a system-related concept and that it is a continuously evolving state of information gathering, processing, and feedback. Based on this argument, we demonstrate the usefulness of the conceptual framework of cybernetics to an understanding of the dynamics of developing and sustaining trust. We begin with some background information about the science of cybernetics and the basic principles relevant to this framework that enable a system to function effectively. We then use the principles of cybernetics to illustrate the dynamic nature of trust within the social system of a complex organization and externally between organizations in an environment. We summarize by relating our model to recent theoretical developments in the trust literature and by providing suggestions for future research using a cybernetic framework.

Toward the construction of a profession’s boundaries: Creating a networking agenda

Attention to the boundaries of an organization or profession is an essential precursor to facilitating boundary-spanning activities. We follow a four-stage process model of constructing boundaries to delimit a profession’s membership and domain prior to its recognition as an institutionalized entity. A set of networking activities forms the basis of boundary construction, yet identifying and prioritizing which activities to pursue is a challenge that can jeopardize the success of an aspiring group. We use a case study of the emerging Jewish legal profession in pre-state Israel to analyze how an agenda for creating membership and domain boundaries implicitly surfaces through interactions among members of the new group. We employ content analysis of a key meeting transcript and network analytical methods to reveal a shared cognitive map of priorities. The study adds to the literature on professional boundaries and demonstrates the utility of an innovative qualitative-quantitative research approach.

Networks for Learning and Knowledge Creation in Biotechnology by Amalya Lumerman Oliver

Scientists in the biotechnology industry are responsible for many inventions that have led to the development of a vast array of products and technologies, in the areas of therapeutics, diagnostics, and agricultural and veterinary products. This has been possible through various intraand interorganizational collaborations between the academic and private sectors, and through the establishment of networks for learning. In Networks for Learning and Knowledge Creation in Biotechnology, Amalya Lumerman Oliver shows how, in many respects, the organizational structure of the industry parallels one of its most important innovations – recombinant DNA (rDNA). She shows how the concept of recombination may be used to explain a number of organizational features, including new biotechnology firms, the formation of universitybased spin-offs, scientific entrepreneurship, and trust and contracts in learning collaborations and networks. The result is an integrative account of how multiple theoretical perspectives can be used to understand the structure of the biotechnology industry.

Beliefs About Social Responsibility at Work: Comparisons between Managers and Non‐Managers Over Time and Cross‐Nationally

We examine the link between the growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility at the organizational level and beliefs about social responsibility at work (SRW) expressed by individuals. Drawing from theories of professionalism and diffusion of innovations (including practices and beliefs), we advance hypotheses about beliefs of managers and non‐managers in 11 countries at two time periods, and use a unique international data set to test our hypotheses. Our general prediction that managers would score higher than non‐managers on a measure of SRW was not supported. However, further analysis revealed a more complex relationship moderated by the contextual factors of time frame and country inequality level. We discuss implications and extensions for future research.

Professional homogeneity: Global versus local effects

Theoretical approaches in studies on professionals are implicitly based on an assumption of homogeneity of attitudes among professionals. However, this assumption has never been validated. This paper examines whether professionals worldwide have relatively homogenous attitudes towards work as compared to non-professionals, and compares two competing theoretical arguments regarding the role of the state in shaping professionals’ work-related attitudes. These were tested using a multinational representative sample of 12,015 respondents from twenty-one countries. Multilevel models showed that professionals do display more homogenous attitudes than non-professionals and that the effect of professional group membership on attitudes does not vary across countries.

From academic laboratory to the market: Disclosed and undisclosed narratives of commercialization

This paper examines how the Weizmann Institute of Science has been telling the story of the successful commercialization of a scientific invention, through its corporate communication channels, from the early 1970s to today. The paper aims to shed light on the transformation processes by which intellectual-property-based commercialization activities have become widely institutionalized in universities all over the world, and on the complexities, ambiguities and tensions surrounding this transition. We look at the story of the scientific invention of Copolymer-1 at the Weizmann Institute of Science and its licensing to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, which subsequently developed the highly successful drug Copaxone for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. We argue that, in its tellings and retellings of the story of Copolymer-1, the Weizmann Institute has created narratives that serve to legitimize the institution of academic patenting in Israel.