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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