Claude Paraponaris

Third generation R&D and strategies for knowledge management

The structures of R&D have evolved towards a bigger articulation between the development of the technological potentialities and exploitation of commercial opportunities. The third generation R&D supplies a more rational frame of action to reconcile several objectives which can turn out contradictory: dedicate enough resources to create new technologies, develop a wallet of industrial and academic co‐operation to accelerate the acquisition of new knowledge. The strategies of high‐tech firms succeed to create a great variety of knowledge. It is necessary to organize the diversity of the internal and external sources to use knowledge fully as a true competitive advantage. We show how the memory must be constituted of the firm to reach that point. From a study on several cases of MNC we characterize the difficulties of the capitalization of the knowledge, and then we present how the firms can take advantage of an active management of knowledge flows.

R&D personnel and human resource management in multinational companies: between homogenization and differenciation

This paper discusses the impact of globalization processes on models of R&D personnel management in multinational companies operating in Europe. Existing literature focuses on the globalization of R&D activity, on the one hand, and on national systems of innovation, on the other. By contrast, there are few studies of the linkage between the globalization of R&D and its impact on HRM. Drawing on the practices of multinationals in four sectors (pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software), the paper examines whether the hold of national differences in the area of HRM has been significantly weakened in the face of new models of competitiveness and management in multinationals. It focuses on two dimensions: recruitment and mobility. The studies highlight two major trends. The ‘internationalization’ of R&D clearly has effects on HRM models but not as great as might be expected. HRM policies such as recruitment and pay systems continue to be nationally based, reflecting legal and institutional differences. At the same time, in conjunction with new forms of R&D organization such as projects, the standardization of HRM tools may be observed. But this is partial and affects only a limited number of tools, notably individual evaluation.

A Conceptual Perspective on Knowledge Management and Boundary Spanning: Knowledge, Boundaries and Commons

Boundaries and their transcendence have become a major discussion topic in fields involved in the creation of value in Western economies. Quite often assimilated with physical and cultural limits, boundaries are presented as obstacles to entrepreneurial achievement. An entrepreneurial ability that unfolds in different fields, the economy of course, but also cultural activities, notably through a revolution of usages facilitated with internet business platforms. It seems relevant to us to compare how commercial and non-commercial activities process information and accumulate knowledge.