The Impact of Culture on University–Industry Knowledge Interaction in the Chinese MNC Context

Abstract

Recent studies on university–industry collaboration have paid a growing attention to complementary knowledge interaction, which is of crucial importance for networked learning and knowledge co-creation needed in today’s rapidly changing markets and for gaining global competitiveness. The existent studies concentrate on the transfer of knowledge from the university to the company, and the impact of culture is examined with a focus on fundamentally different cultures between two types of organizations (i.e., between universities and firms). The studies, however, remain highly fragmented in cultural exploration on one level, and are primarily concerned with one-way technology and knowledge transfer. Research on more interactive knowledge interaction (e.g., collaborative knowledge creation) and especially in the Chinese context is seriously lacking. This chapter explores university–industry knowledge interaction in a broad sense, focusing on the development of a conceptual view on the understanding and analysis of the cultural impact in the Chinese MNC context. The chapter is an early work in process and it is theoretical in nature. It clarifies and elaborates key concepts and perspectives, and suggests implications for future research and practice regarding effective knowledge co-creation involving dissimilar cultures.