Navigating innovation in converging industries: the role of alliances
- Autores: Mariana Dodourova
- Localización: Conradi Research Review, ISSN-e 1459-0980, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2010, págs. 1-17
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
Building on path dependency theory, technological complexity view and generic technologies view, this paper proposes correlations that link the concepts of alliances, innovation, industry convergence, and path dependence in an attempt to contribute to a systematic explanation of the complex processes taking place in converging industries. Contrary to the popular understanding, industry convergence in this paper is seen as being driven by firms rather than as an uncontainable environmental process, with alliances acting as navigating devices for innovation activities. The proposed correlations have the potential to link the interactions of three groups of factors - firm-specific, industry-specific, and broad environmental factors. Moreover, they can be used to track the technological behaviour of firms at a high level of aggregation, e.g. industrial sector or national economy, and evaluate the role played by innovation in determining combinations of economic units.
