Innovation, Learning and Cluster Dynamics

This chapter offers a theory and an analytical framework for the analysis of cluster dynamics, i.e. the innovative performance and evolution of clusters.It develops three types of embedding: institutional embedding, structural embedding (network structure), and relational embedding (type and strength of ties).The analysis is conducted from a perspective of both competence (learning) arising from relations and governance of relational risk, which includes risk of lock-in and risk of spillover.A basic proposition is that innovative clusters face the challenge of combining exploration and exploitation.Hypotheses are specified concerning differences between networks for exploration and exploitation, and concerning combinations and transitions between them.Arguments are presented that in some important respects go against the thesis of the strength of weak ties .Some empirical evidence is presented from recent studies.innovation;organizational learning;clusters;industrial districts;networks

Innovation, learning and cluster dynamics

This chapter offers a theory and method for the analysis of the dynamics, i.e. the development, of clusters for innovation. It employs an analysis of three types of embedding: institutional embedding, which is often localized, structural embedding (network structure), and relational embedding (type and strength of ties). The analysis is conducted from a perspective of both competence (learning) and the governance of relational risk, which includes risks of dependence and spillover. It employs results from earlier research in organizational learning and innovation, and in the management of inter-organizational relations. A basic proposition is that innovative clusters face the challenge of combining exploration and exploitation. Hypotheses are specified concerning differences between networks for exploration and exploitation, and concerning combinations and transitions between them. Arguments are presented that in some important respects go against the thesis of the ‘strength of weak ties’. Some empirical evidence is presented from recent studies

Multirelational Organization of Large-scale Social Networks in an Online World

The capacity to collect fingerprints of individuals in online media has revolutionized the way researchers explore human society. Social systems can be seen as a non-linear superposition of a multitude of complex social networks, where nodes represent individuals and links capture a variety of different social relations. Much emphasis has been put on the network topology of social interactions, however, the multi-dimensional nature of these interactions has largely been ignored in empirical studies, mostly because of lack of data. Here, for the first time, we analyze a complete, multi-relational, large social network of a society consisting of the 300,000 odd players of a massive multiplayer online game. We extract networks of six different types of one-to-one interactions between the players. Three of them carry a positive connotation (friendship, communication, trade), three a negative (enmity, armed aggression, punishment). We first analyze these types of networks as separate entities and find that negative interactions differ from positive interactions by their lower reciprocity, weaker clustering and fatter-tail degree distribution. We then proceed to explore how the inter-dependence of different network types determines the organization of the social system. In particular we study correlations and overlap between different types of links and demonstrate the tendency of individuals to play different roles in different networks. As a demonstration of the power of the approach we present the first empirical large-scale verification of the long-standing structural balance theory, by focusing on the specific multiplex network of friendship and enmity relations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PNA

Investigating the temporal dynamics of inter-organizational exchange: patient transfers among Italian hospitals

Previous research on interaction behavior among organizations (resource exchange, collaboration, communication) has typically aggregated records of those behaviors over time to constitute a ‘network’ of organizational relationships. We instead directly study structural-temporal patterns in organizational exchange, focusing on the dynamics of reciprocation. Applying this lens to a community of Italian hospitals during the period 2003-2007, we observe two mechanisms of interorganizational reciprocation: organizational embedding and resource dependence. We flesh out these two mechanisms by showing how they operate in distinct time frames: Dependence operates on contemporaneous exchange structures, whereas embedding develops through longer-term historical patterns. We also show how these processes operate differently in competitive and noncompetitive contexts, operationalized in terms of market differentiation and geographic space. In noncompetitive contexts, we observe both logics of reciprocation, dependence in the short term and embedding over the long term, developing into patterns of generalized exchange in this population. In competitive contexts, we observe neither form of reciprocation and instead observe the microfoundations of status hierarchies in exchange

Dynamics of Trust Reciprocation in Heterogenous MMOG Networks

Understanding the dynamics of reciprocation is of great interest in sociology and computational social science. The recent growth of Massively Multi-player Online Games (MMOGs) has provided unprecedented access to large-scale data which enables us to study such complex human behavior in a more systematic manner. In this paper, we consider three different networks in the EverQuest2 game: chat, trade, and trust. The chat network has the highest level of reciprocation (33%) because there are essentially no barriers to it. The trade network has a lower rate of reciprocation (27%) because it has the obvious barrier of requiring more goods or money for exchange; morever, there is no clear benefit to returning a trade link except in terms of social connections. The trust network has the lowest reciprocation (14%) because this equates to sharing certain within-game assets such as weapons, and so there is a high barrier for such connections because they require faith in the players that are granted such high access. In general, we observe that reciprocation rate is inversely related to the barrier level in these networks. We also note that reciprocation has connections across the heterogeneous networks. Our experiments indicate that players make use of the medium-barrier reciprocations to strengthen a relationship. We hypothesize that lower-barrier interactions are an important component to predicting higher-barrier ones. We verify our hypothesis using predictive models for trust reciprocations using features from trade interactions. Using the number of trades (both before and after the initial trust link) boosts our ability to predict if the trust will be reciprocated up to 11% with respect to the AUC

Success Factors of Small and Medium-Sized International Enterprises in the Chinese Market from the Perspective of Polish Direct Investment (Cultural Approach)

Globalization has resulted in increasing transfer of firms operations, regardless of their size, to other countries. The recent dynamic emergence of China in the global economy, connecting with the vast inflows of foreign direct investment in their territory and common adjustments problems of many Western companies, has resulted in growing interest for best suitable business practices to this culturally and socially different environment. In this article, the key factors critical to the success of international companies in this region are introduced, with particular consideration to indigenous cultural elements and specific operation requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises in Business-to-Business sectors. The presented information are based on the broad literature review, five years of direct observation and thirty eight interviews conducted with Polish managers directly residing in China. In addition, some practical recommendations for managers and further research are given.Globalizacja wymusza na firmach, niezależnie od ich wielkości, coraz częstsze przenoszenie operacji do innych krajów. Dynamiczne pojawienie się Chin w światowej gospodarce i szeroki napł;yw zagranicznych inwestycji bezpośrednich na ich teren oraz problemy adaptacyjne wielu zachodnich przedsiębiorstw, spowodował;y zainteresowanie najlepszymi praktykami biznesowymi dostosowanymi do tego odmiennego kulturowo i społ;ecznie otocznia. W artykule zaprezentowane został;y najważniejsze czynnik mające wpł;yw na osiągnięcie sukcesu przez firmy międzynarodowe na tym obszarze, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem aspektów kulturowych i specyfiki dział;ania mał;ych i średnich podmiotów na rynkach B2B. Prezentowane informacje są oparte na przeglądzie literatury, pięcioletnich obserwacjach bezpośrednich oraz trzydziestu ośmiu wywiadach przeprowadzonych z menadżerami polskich przedsiębiorstw odpowiedzialnymi za operacje w Chinach. Dodatkowo wskazano kilka praktycznych rekomendacji menadżerskich oraz możliwości dalszych badań

Innovation, Learning and Cluster Dynamics

This chapter offers a theory and an analytical framework for the analysis of cluster dynamics, i.e. the innovative performance and evolution of clusters.It develops three types of embedding: institutional embedding, structural embedding (network structure), and relational embedding (type and strength of ties).The analysis is conducted from a perspective of both competence (learning) arising from relations and governance of relational risk, which includes risk of lock-in and risk of spillover.A basic proposition is that innovative clusters face the challenge of combining exploration and exploitation.Hypotheses are specified concerning differences between networks for exploration and exploitation, and concerning combinations and transitions between them.Arguments are presented that in some important respects go against the thesis of the strength of weak ties .Some empirical evidence is presented from recent studies.

Understanding collaborative supply chain relationships through the application of the Williamson organisational failure framework

Many researchers have studied supply chain relationships however, the preponderance of open markets situations and ‘industry-style’ surveys have reduced the empirical focus on the dynamics of long-term, collaborative dyadic relationships. Within the supply chain the need for much closer, long-term relationships is increasing due to supplier rationalisation and globalisation (Spekman et al, 1998) and more information about these interactions is required. The research specifically tested the well-accepted Williamson’s (1975) Economic Organisations Failure Framework as a theoretical model through which long term collaborative relationships can be

That Others May Learn: Three Views on Vicarious Learning in Organizations.

Vicarious learning, the process by which an individual learns from another’s experience, has long been recognized as a source of development and performance improvement in organizations, at both individual and collective levels. Yet existing perspectives on this critical learning process have been fairly limited, typically casting vicarious learning as a simple process of observation and imitation, enabled by formal organizational knowledge-transfer conduits. Largely absent from prior approaches is a consideration of the interpersonal dynamics underlying vicarious learning, leaving unexplored important questions related to 1) the actual behaviors unfolding when individuals interact to learn from one another’s experience, 2) how people coordinate efforts to enact and facilitate these vicarious learning interactions, and 3) the performance impact of different patterns of engagement in these interactions. In this dissertation, I advance a perspective on vicarious learning that views it as relationally co-created, emergently organized, and dyadically reciprocal, exploring the issues identified above in three distinct chapters. First, I present a theoretical model of what I term coactive vicarious learning, integrating theories of experiential learning and symbolic interactionism to articulate a co-construction process of vicarious learning, arising from individuals’ discussion and shared meaning-making. I unpack the antecedents and underlying behaviors of these discursive vicarious learning interactions, and theorize that they not only increase individuals’ knowledge, but also build individual and relational capacity for future learning. Second, I present a qualitative study of how these vicarious learning interactions manifest at work, inductively exploring the organizing processes used to facilitate vicarious learning in air medical transport teams. I advance a view of vicarious learning not as wholly determined by formal structures, but rather as an emergently organized phenomenon, enacted through interpersonal storytelling and facilitated by the coalescence of informal practices and formal structures. Third, I present a quantitative examination of different distributions of vicarious learning in work teams. Specifically, I examine what leads individuals to engage in reciprocal vicarious learning relationships (where each individual learns from the other, in contrast to the prevailing view of vicarious learning as one-way information transfer) and demonstrate that greater reciprocation of vicarious learning within a team enhances performance.PhDBusiness AdministrationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113410/1/cgmyers_1.pd