Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli

Search and Recombination Process to Innovate: A Review of the Empirical Evidence and a Research Agenda

The view of innovation as a process of searching and recombining existing knowledge elements has been adopted in several industries. The innovation management literature has recognized the fundamental role that search and recombination play in innovation development. However, the relevant research has provided complex, fragmented and mixed results. The authors aim to identify areas of convergence and provide directions for future research by collecting empirical evidence regarding how firms conduct the search and recombination process. They conducted a systematic literature review of 87 empirical articles in the innovation management field. The review reveals differences among the solutions adopted both within and across organizational boundaries. Specifically, it shows that the variety and diversity of knowledge elements are critical in creating breakthrough innovations. Therefore, this paper discusses how to provide access to a variety of knowledge elements. It also highlights other fundamental questions calling for further investigation, such as how scientific knowledge elements are successfully recombined and how recombination and search dynamics occur in small and medium‐sized firms. The review concludes by summarizing the current state of affairs and suggests promising directions for future investigation.

Organizational Factors and Technological Features in the Development of Green Innovations: Evidence from Patent Analysis

Abstract In the present paper we investigate whether and to what extent green innovations significantly differ from non-green ones, in terms of (z) inter- and intra-organizational relationships leading to their development and (ii) technological characteristics, as complexity and novelty. Then, we study the impact of these organizational factors and technological features on the value of green innovations. In particular, we focus on a specific type of green innovations, as green technological innovations, and consider green patents as proxy for them. Analyzing green and non-green patents developed by a sample of companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, we find that green innovations have important peculiarities compared to conventional ones. Specifically, developing green innovations requires establishing collaborations with external actors as well as among internal actors to a greater extent, while the technologies underling green innovations seem to be characterized by a higher degree of complexity and novelty. With regard to the value of green innovations, results show that the most valuable ones are those that more highly rely on collaborations among internal actors, whereas higher levels of novelty seem to be detrimental, at least in the short-medium term.

Determinants of Patent Citations in Biotechnology: An Analysis of Patent Influence Across the Industrial and Organizational Boundaries

The present paper extends the literature investigating key drivers leading certain patents to exert a stronger influence on the subsequent technological developments (inventions) than other ones. We investigated six key determinants, as (i) the use of scientific knowledge, (ii) the breadth of the technological base, (iii) the existence of collaboration in patent development, (iv) the number of claims, (v) the scope, and (vi) the novelty, and how the effect of these determinants varies when patent influence — as measured by the number of forward citations the patent received — is distinguished as within and across the industrial and organizational boundaries. We conducted an empirical analysis on a sample of 5,671 patents granted to 293 US biotechnology firms from 1976 to 2003. Results reveal that the contribution of the determinants to patent influence differs across the domains that are identified by the industrial and organizational boundaries. Findings, for example, show that the use of scientific knowledge negatively affects patent influence outside the biotechnology industry, while it positively contributes to make a patent more relevant for the assignee’s subsequent technological developments. In addition, the broader the scope of a patent the higher the number of citations the patent receives from subsequent non-biotechnology patents. This relationship is inverted U-shaped when considering the influence of a patent on inventions granted to other organizations than the patent’s assignee. Finally, the novelty of a patent is inverted-U related with the influence the patent exerts on the subsequent inventions granted across the industrial and organizational boundaries.

External knowledge sources and proximity

– Following the line traced by two previous works of Albino et al. and Messeni Petruzzelli, the paper aims to analyze how technology districts reach and acquire external competencies and capabilities by means of organizational and cognitive proximity. This allows districts to modify their geographical boundaries and evolve into technology clusters., – The research design is based on a case study methodology. In particular, two actual technology districts are analyzed, namely Castel Romano and Toulouse, in order to show how they use organizational, and cognitive proximity to acquire external knowledge sources and re‐shape their geographical boundaries., – Based on the findings of the empirical study, two main propositions are formulated. The first proposition refers to the negative relationship between the geographical distance to the districts actors and the use of organizational proximity as a means for reaching external knowledge sources. By contrast, the second proposition indicates the positive relationship between the geographical distance to the districts actors and the use of cognitive proximity as a means for reaching external knowledge sources., – As regards the firm strategic behaviors, it seems particularly crucial to exploit all the three dimensions of proximity, in order to guarantee openness and sustain innovativeness and competitiveness. Concerning policy implications, the local governments should address their actions to help and promote the openness of technology districts and the formation of technology clusters. With this aim, actions should be devoted also to sustaining single local firms that are part of a technology cluster but not of a technology district. These, in fact, by increasing their competitive position, may generate positive externalities in the local area, fostering the diffusion and sharing of knowledge in the area and, then, acting as knowledge gatekeepers for the whole area., – The paper extends the findings of previous works linking three proximity dimensions in a holistic framework that explains the different use of organizational and cognitive proximity to acquire knowledge, according to the geographical distance between organizations.

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.

Proximity and knowledge gatekeepers: the case of the Polytechnic University of Turin

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate how proximity dimensions affect the establishment of different knowledge relationships between gatekeepers and other economic actors involved in their knowledge‐based networks.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on an inductive research approach, represented by the explorative case study of the Polytechnic University of Turin. The Universitys knowledge relationships are identified and distinguished through the analysis of its patent joint‐developments, citations, and R&D projects. Then, for each knowledge relationship, geographical, organizational, and technological proximity between the University and the other economic actors are assessed, adopting suitable proxies.Findings – The data reveal that the University activates collaborative and exploitative relationships with actors characterized by geographical, organizational, and technological proximity. In contrast, collaborative and explorative relationships seem to require actors characterized ...

The impact of old technologies on innovation: the case of the US biotechnology industry

This paper investigates the implications of a technology sourcing strategy maintaining a focus on the rediscovery of old technologies. Specifically, we study the different impact exerted by old technological solutions, distinguished on the basis of their organisational and industrial origins, on the innovation value. We develop a set of hypotheses about the impact exerted by four distinct types of old technological solutions (firm core technological heritage, firm lateral technological heritage, competitors’ technological heritage and others’ technological heritage) and test them on a sample of 1189 biotechnology patents registered at the US Patent and Trademark Office from 1979 to 2002. Results strongly support our hypotheses, revealing that: (1) using both firm core technological heritage and others’ technological heritage has an inverted U-shaped effect on innovation value; (2) employing firm lateral technological heritage is positively related to innovation value; (3) a negative relationship occurs between competitors’ core technological heritage and the value of subsequent innovations.

Institutional diversity, internal search behaviour, and joint-innovations: evidence from the U.S. biotechnology industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovation performance of R&D collaborations from an institutional perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct an empirical analysis based on 487 joint-inventions developed by 50 US biotechnology firms from 1985 to 2002. Findings – The authors find that institutional diversity between the partners, as reflected by firm-university partnerships, positively affects the value of their joint-innovation. This effect is reinforced by the firm’s behaviour in searching for knowledge broadly (scope) and in the non-commercial realm (science-based nature). Conversely, as the firm searches for knowledge in few domains areas (depth), the positive effect of institutional diversity is reduced. Research limitations/implications – The study contributes to literature on partner selection, university-industry collaborations, balance between exploration and exploitation, as well as to research on the interdependence between firm’s external and internal resources. Practical implications – The study reveals that when firms innovate together with universities, this promotes the development of high valuable innovations. In addition, it emerges that to fully capture the benefits of these collaborations, firms have to develop a wide set of competencies supported by a scientific approach in problem solving. Originality/value – The study sheds new light on the dynamics favouring the joint development of valuable innovations by focusing on the impact exerted by partners’ institutional differences, as revealed by how norms and rules shape innovation’s modes.

Reinterpreting Tradition to Innovate: The Case of Italian Haute Cuisine

Abstract The present research investigates the development of new products within cultural and creative industries resulting from the use of traditional elements. In particular, we analyse methods facilitating the recombination of traditional elements into new products. Accordingly, we conducted an inductive qualitative research, based on five case studies represented by Italian restaurants awarded with three Michelin stars. Findings reveal how traditional elements may be combined with elements coming from different and distant cultures. In addition, the elements of tradition may be the only source of innovation if atypical links are established among them. Our results mainly contribute to shed new light on the dynamics which allow to achieve the equilibrium between familiarity and novelty in cultural and creative industries where products suffer a rapid obsolescence. Finally, we advance the debate on tensions created by the inclusion of novelties in traditions by proposing method facilitating combinations.

Unveiling the breakthrough potential of established technologies: an empirical investigation in the aerospace industry

ABSTRACT The present article sheds new light on the role of established technologies as a driving force behind technological evolution, hence unveiling their breakthrough potential. Specifically, going against the conventional wisdom that only nascent technologies significantly shape future technological developments, we examine the likelihood that established technologies have to become breakthrough solutions. Furthermore, we also analyse if and how the breadth of knowledge base characterising those inventions influences this probability. Based on a sample of 21,000 patents belonging to the aerospace industry granted at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), our results reveal that established technologies have an inverted U-shaped effect on the likelihood of becoming breakthroughs, and that such relationship is negatively influenced by a wide knowledge breadth.