Article,

The Politics of Netwroked Innovation

.
Human Relations, (2005)

Abstract

Existing studies suggest that, because knowledge is becoming more widely distributed, innovation increasingly needs to occur ‘at the interstices’ of collaborating groups and organizations. Networked innovation processes are therefore emphasized, over more hierar- chical or market-based forms, as having distinct advantages for the creation and integration of knowledge. Whilst the structural proper- ties of networks have been heavily scrutinized, there is relatively less understanding of processes, in particular the political dynamics that shape networked innovation. This article aims to develop under- standing of networked innovation processes, by identifying and relating the characteristics of networked innovation to the produc- tive, or constraining, effects of different dimensions of power (power of resource, meaning and process). It does this through comparative analysis of three case studies of networked innovation, each involv- ing the development of new technology. This analysis suggests that understanding the politics of networked innovation depends on understanding the generative (and sometimes degenerative) relationship between power, knowledge integration, network forma- tion, and the role of technology. Moreover, the co-ordination of networks, rather than simply their formation, is found to play a particularly crucial role.

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