This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Tzabbar, D. Articles by Al-Laham, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

When is the whole bigger than the sum of its parts? Bundling knowledge stocks for innovative success

University of Central Florida, USA, dtzabbar{at}bus.ucf.edu

Barak S. Aharonson

Stern School of Business, USA, aharonson{at}stern.nyu.edu

Terry L. Amburgey

University of Toronto, Canada, amburgey{at}rotman.utoronto.ca

Andreas Al-Laham

University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, al-laham{at}wiwi.uni-kl.de

As firms engage in building different R&D capabilities, they confront a crucial question: what configuration of knowledge stocks is most likely to increase innovative success? This article argues that the impact of one knowledge stock may depend not just on its level but also on the level of other stocks; furthermore, the interdependencies of firms' existing knowledge stocks might explain performance differences.The authors measure the effects of three pairwise combinations of knowledge stocks on firm innovative success, and find, using an event-history analysis of 843 dedicated biotechnology firms during 1973—99, that one pair is complementary (i.e. intellectual and collaborative capital) and two pairs are substitutive (i.e. human and intellectual and human and collaborative capital).Viewing knowledge complementarities through such a lens gives rise to systems effects and explains when the whole is bigger (or smaller) than the sum of its parts.

Key Words: innovation • knowledge stocks • resource bundling

Strategic Organization, Vol. 6, No. 4, 375-406 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1476127008096363


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				U. Lichtenthaler and H. Ernst Technology licensing strategies: the interaction of process and content characteristics Strategic Organization, May 1, 2009; 7(2): 183 - 221. [Abstract] [PDF]