Antonio Capaldo

Knowledge Maturity and the Scientific Value of Innovations The Roles of Knowledge Distance and Adoption

How does the scientific value of innovations vary with the maturity of the knowledge that underlies them? We reconcile conflicting views in the innovation literature by introducing a contingency perspective that underscores the role of knowledge distance along technological and geographical domains. We predict an inverted U-shaped effect of knowledge maturity on the scientific value of new innovations. We further suggest that incorporating geographically distant knowledge can enhance the value contribution of knowledge maturity, whereas incorporating technologically distant knowledge or waiting for the adoption of knowledge in the industry mitigates this value. Our analysis of 5,575 biotechnology patented innovations offers support for our conjectures. We thus advance research on knowledge management and innovation by underscoring the temporal aspect of innovation and its interplay with technological and geographical distances.

Origins of knowledge and innovation in R&D alliances: a contingency approach

Innovative performance is influenced both by the origins of the existing knowledge that is combined to generate innovation and by how economic actors search for new knowledge. Drawing on a sample of inter-firm dyadic R&D alliances, we found that whereas the integration of geographically distant knowledge and of organisationally proximate knowledge in R&D alliances are negatively related to the alliance innovative performance, search span positively moderates both relationships. We conclude that, in order to make the most of broad-span searching, firms participating in R&D alliances should integrate geographically distant but organisationally proximate knowledge. By doing so, firms take advantage of the diversity and novelty that characterises geographically distant knowledge, while preserving considerable levels of relative absorptive capacity that are needed for them to understand, internalise, and effectively use partners’ knowledge from different domains.

A Quest in Time: How the Maturity, Distance, and Diffusion of Knowledge Affect Innovation

Prior research has offered mixed views on the implications of knowledge maturity for the value of innovation. We seek to reconcile these views by claiming that the effect of knowledge maturity is contingent on the origin of knowledge and the extent of its diffusion in the industry. We predict an inverted U-shaped effect of knowledge maturity on the value of new innovations. Moreover, when inventors incorporate geographically distant knowledge in their innovations, we expect the value of knowledge maturity to be enhanced. In turn, incorporating technologically distant knowledge or waiting for knowledge to become diffused in the industry is likely to mitigate the value of knowledge maturity. Analysis of the citation patterns associated with 5,575 biotechnology patents of firms operating in the United States between 1985 and 2002 offers support to our conjectures. By underscoring the contingent value of knowledge maturity, our study advances innovation research and contributes to the learning literature.