Building a bridge: social networks and technological regimes in biotechnology and software

DINâMIA-CET/IUL Working Paper n.º 2011/17

The paper investigates the influence of technological regimes on the
composition and structure of firms’ knowledge networks. We combine
insights from two hitherto unconnected bodies of research: one relating
technological regimes with the nature of knowledge; and the other
relating knowledge and types of innovation with network configuration.
Drawing on this framework, we build a number of propositions on the
relationship between firms’ networking behaviour and the regime under
which they operate, operationalized at both sector and firm-level.
These propositions are explored through empirical research comparing
firms operating in two distinct knowledge-intensive sectors, namely
biotechnology, which is commonly considered more science-based, and
software, thought of as mostly technology-based.
As expected, we found that distinct technological regimes affect the
knowledge search/exchange process, and thus have an impact upon the
network building strategies of the firms.
The results also reveal that sector-based technological regimes have a
greater explanatory capacity than firm-based regimes that cross sectoral
boundaries.
The use of different approaches and techniques, together with the
combination of sector and firm level analyses, provided a tool that
enabled a deeper understanding of the variety of networking behaviours
among knowledge-intensive firms.