TY  - CHAP
AB  - In this chapter, we make the argument that science-based firms in the life sciences are expected to actively expand the volume and scope of collaborations, and broaden the kinds of partners with whom they collaborate, as they grow larger, older, and become successful. We base our arguments on a general process of organizational learning in which organizations with diverse ties are exposed to a broader stock of knowledge, heterogeneity in the portfolio of collaborators facilitates innovation, and repeat contracting enables organizations to deepen their protocols for the exchange of information and resources. We draw from these ideas the conclusion that interfirm collaboration is not a transitional stage, or stepping stone, to success or maturity, but a significant organizational practice in technologically advanced fields. Extending this argument, we suggest this strategy of interfirm collaboration represents neither dependency nor specialization but an alternative way of accessing knowledge and resources.
VL  - 10
SN  - 978-1-84950-288-7, 978-0-76231-132-3/1572-0977
DO  - 10.1016/S1572-0977(04)10003-4
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-0977(04)10003-4
AU  - Koput Kenneth W.
AU  - Powell Walter W.
ED  - Michael Beyerlein
ED  - Douglas Johnson
ED  - Susan Beyerlein
PY  - 2004
Y1  - 2004/01/01
TI  - NOT YOUR STEPPING STONE: COLLABORATION AND THE DYNAMICS OF FIRM EVOLUTION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
T2  - Complex Collaboration: Building the Capabilities for Working Across Boundaries
T3  - Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 59
EP  - 81
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -