Abstract
This study sheds light on how recombination of different kinds of knowledge changes along the technology life cycle. From a theoretical point of view, the cyclical technology life cycle model is extended to account for the influence of recombination of different kinds of knowledge in the different life cycle phases. This model is empirically tested for the technological life cycle of wind power and photovoltaics in Germany for the period from 1970 until 2006. Patent forward citations are considered as recombinatorial success and inventors’ patenting experience proxy different kinds of knowledge. Negative binomial regressions as well as rolling-window regressions are used to estimate the relevance of different kinds of knowledge along the technology life cycle. Results reveal that different kinds of knowledge matter along the technology life cycle. In the era of ferment, knowledge from domains external to the technology is relevant, but for the dominant design and the era of incremental change, new and specialized knowledge is most important. However, there are technological differences and deviations from the model. Rolling-window regressions reveal nuanced changes in the life cycle phases. The results have several policy and management implications, especially for the timing of whom to fund or hire for inventive activity.
Highlights
Technologies develop by the inducement of new knowledge into the knowledge base, which is the result of the recombination of already existing knowledge and artifacts (Schumpeter 1912; Nelson and Winter 1982; Dosi and Nelson 2010, 2013)
While the results show that different kinds of inventors are relevant for successful knowledge recombination along the technological life cycle (TLC), inventive activity is increasingly conducted in teams (Wuchty et al 2007)
The proposed model extension is empirically tested for the TLC of wind power (WP) and photovoltaics (PV) in Germany
Summary
Technologies develop by the inducement of new knowledge into the knowledge base, which is the result of the recombination of already existing knowledge and artifacts (Schumpeter 1912; Nelson and Winter 1982; Dosi and Nelson 2010, 2013). The model distinguishes four phases, an era of ferment, the emergence of a dominant design, an era of incremental change and a discontinuity, which restarts the cycle This TLC model has been widely used to analyze technological development and is extended into various dimensions, for example covering the influence of cognitive factors (Kaplan and Tripsas 2008), specific phases (Murmann and Frenken 2006) or the level of granularity (Taylor and Taylor 2012). The aim of the paper is to close this gap by extending the Anderson and Tushman (1990) model proposing how recombination of different kinds of knowledge shapes a technology over its life cycle. The extension states that in each TLC phase different sources of knowledge are required for successful recombination and technological evolution
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