Organizational Learning and Search Track: Scientific and Technical Knowledge: Search, Diffusion, and Impact

Both innovation and entrepreneurship crucially rely on scientific and technical knowledge. Scientific and engineering principles can be applied to processes of creative search to resolve technical problems, increase useful innovation, and create new business opportunities. Yet, recent years have seen dramatic changes in how knowledge is generated and diffused, with still limited evidence on how these changes are impacting innovation. The emergence of big data and computational capabilities might provide “automated” ways to generate knowledge in the form of predictive statements. What are their effects on the innovation search process and on the rate and the direction of technical change? Furthermore, these trends are magnified by the diffusion of the internet and digital modes of exchanging information. How important is the human component for the diffusion of knowledge? Is the diffusion and impact of knowledge still dependent on localized interactions, despite the widespread availability of ICT and the internet? This panel symposium will assemble four papers on the topics of search, diffusion, and impact of technical knowledge. It will discuss 1) the role of data in the search for innovation, 2) the directional consequences of data availability on the accumulation and diffusion of technical knowledge, and 3) the localization of knowledge and how physical proximity of scientists and inventors influence knowledge flows and company creation. These questions are important to craft strategy processes for managers and the allocation of resources for policymakers.