Exploring the foundations of cumulative innovation: Implications for organization science

• 成果类型: Editorial Material
• 署名作者: Murray, Fiona; O'Mahony, Siobhan
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University of California System; University of California Davis
• 刊物名称: ORGANIZATION SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7039
• DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1070.0325
• 发表日期: 2007
• 页码: 1006-1021
• 关键词: innovation; intellectual property; ideas; cumulative

摘要

Organizational theorists have built a deep understanding of the conditions affecting knowledge sharing. However, for innovation to occur, knowledge must not just be shared, but also reused, recombined, and accumulated. Such accumulation is not inherent to the innovation process but can be either supported or limited by the context in which it occurs. We propose a framework arguing that three conditions shape this context: disclosure, access, and rewards. We show how these conditions operate at the institutional, field, community, and organizational levels. Our framework highlights how when innovators encounter barriers to the accumulation of knowledge, their solutions are often organizational ones rather than legal ones. This suggests an expanding terrain for organizational scholars interested in debates often dominated by law and economics.