Technology spin-offs: teamwork, autonomy, and the exploitation of business opportunities

Abstract

This study analyzes the antecedents of technology spin-off resulting from the exploitation of patented technology developed in established firms and then transferred to a new organization. We hypothesize and empirically examine how teamwork and autonomy, two key dimensions of the established organization’s inventive activity, correlate with spin-off formation. The results, based on a large-scale survey of inventors, show that (1) inventive activities organized as teamwork are less likely to engender the creation of a new firm and (2) granting strategic autonomy increases the likelihood of a spin-off whereas structural autonomy decreases the chances of a spin-off.