TY - JOUR
T1 - Social Networks, Learning, and Flexibility
T2 - Sourcing Scientific Knowledge in New Biotechnology Firms
AU - Liebeskind, Julia Porter
AU - Oliver, Amalya Lumerman
AU - Zucker, Lynne
AU - Brewer, Marilynn
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - We examine how two highly successful new biotechnology firms (NBFs) source their most critical input - scientific knowledge. We find that scientists at the two NBFs enter into large numbers of collaborative research efforts with scientists at other organizations, especially universities. Formal market contracts are rarely used to govern these exchanges of scientific knowledge. Our findings suggest that the use of boundary-spanning social networks by the two NBFs increases both their learning and their flexibility in ways that would not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical organization.
AB - We examine how two highly successful new biotechnology firms (NBFs) source their most critical input - scientific knowledge. We find that scientists at the two NBFs enter into large numbers of collaborative research efforts with scientists at other organizations, especially universities. Formal market contracts are rarely used to govern these exchanges of scientific knowledge. Our findings suggest that the use of boundary-spanning social networks by the two NBFs increases both their learning and their flexibility in ways that would not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical organization.
KW - Biotechnology
KW - Organizational Flexibility
KW - Organizational Learning
KW - Social Networks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030523972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1287/orsc.7.4.428
DO - 10.1287/orsc.7.4.428
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AN - SCOPUS:0030523972
SN - 1047-7039
VL - 7
SP - 428
EP - 443
JO - Organization Science
JF - Organization Science
IS - 4
ER -