Cognitive Proximity Research Articles

Understanding knowledge exchange processes among diverse users of coworking-spaces

PurposeCoworking spaces use the idea of spatial co-location that improves communication and knowledge sharing among independent knowledge professionals. Fluid work structures and a sense of community can facilitate work satisfaction, creativity and entrepreneurship. Fundamentals to those positive outcomes are the knowledge sharing processes between users of coworking spaces. The purpose of this study is to explore the knowledge sharing processes in this setting where researchers still have very little understanding.Design/methodology/approachBased on an inductive research methodology, qualitative data were collected through observations and interviews with a variety of users (including freelancers, entrepreneurs and firms) incumbent in various coworking spaces in Germany.FindingsCo-location of individuals in coworking spaces is first about physical proximity and second about socialization and collaboration opportunities, which then advance cognitive proximity. Thus, co-location can facilitate tacit knowledge exchange, ignite the social disembodiment of ideas, synthesize domain-related knowledge sharing and promote inter-domain learning. The institutionalization of knowledge management services will allow coworking spaces to increase these positive outcomes.Practical implicationsFindings of this study are interesting for managers of shared spaces and traditional firms that use spatial co-location. The authors propose institutionalized knowledge management services to enable multifaceted and multidisciplinary knowledge creation in organizations.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on the role of spatial co-location in knowledge sharing processes among independent knowledge professionals in shared office spaces. Thereby, this study provides valuable insights into a phenomenon that has received little attention even though its practical importance is high.

Analytic Framework to Determine Proximity in Relationship Coffee Models.

In conventional food systems, there are often large social and geographical distances between production and consumption. Alternative food networks (AFNs) like relationship coffee models aim to shorten these distances through direct contacts, communication, trust, transparency or commitment to improve farmers’ livelihoods. These relationship coffee models appear in diverse shapes with various implications for producers. Therefore, we deductively develop a framework to conceptualise proximity in four dimensions (organisational, institutional, cognitive and social) with subdimensions and three transversal dimensions ((temporary) geographical proximity, power, and communication). The analytic framework is complemented by an illustrative case to empirically test it, showing high geographical, organisational, institutional and cognitive proximity but low social proximity between coffee producer and restaurant owner. For future research, the framework can help to conceptualise proximity or to distinguish different types of relationship coffee models and to unpack conditions under which relationship coffees can increase proximity between coffee producers and buyers, often located far apart.

Collaborative leadership in EMU governance: a matter of cognitive proximity

Collaborative leadership has stood at the heart of European politics since its inception. Yet EU scholars have only recently started to examine the concept and mainly from an institutional perspective. This article conceptualises the phenomenon of collaborative leadership from an actor-centered perspective. It explores a central condition for successful collaborative leadership identified in the literature: the existence of shared beliefs among the leaders involved. To do this, the article focuses on four events in the history of European Economic and Monetary Union. Using the method of cognitive mapping, the study establishes the extent of congruence in the beliefs on European integration and fiscal and monetary policy of the four leadership trios overseeing these events. On the basis of a survey of leading experts in the field, the article reveals that the level of cognitive proximity in leaders’ beliefs aligns with the perceived success with which the trios exerted collaborative leadership.

Dynamic Evolution of Venture Capital Network in Clean Energy Industries Based on STERGM

This paper provides a detailed description of venture capital (VC) investments in clean energy industries in China over the period 2006–2017 and explores the evolution of clean energy industry VC networks through network formation and network dissolution. Results from the separable temporal exponential-family random graph model (STERGM) show that the factors vary in their relative importance for clean energy industry VC network formation and dissolution. Specifically, governmental venture capital (GVC) and geographic proximity have strong impacts on the formation of networks but not on their dissolution. Reputation and structural embeddedness promote the formation of networks and inhibit their dissolution, and cognitive proximity is found to cause network formation while facilitating network dissolution. The results provide practical and theoretical guidance for the network development of VC firms investing in clean energy industries.

Intra‐cluster Knowledge Exchange and Frequency of Product Innovation in a Digital Cluster

We investigate how intra‐cluster knowledge exchange affects the frequency of product innovation. Based on self‐administered survey data of digital SMEs from the Bournemouth and Poole regions of England, this study shows that digital firms that sustain both temporary and prolonged relationships with outbound employees have a higher probability of introducing frequent product innovation. Moreover, while cognitive proximity and the use of external knowledge providers increase the probability of frequent product innovation, geographical proximity reduces it. Our findings suggest that managers of young digital firms with limited resources in peripheral regions should ‘act near’ before reaching out.

Proximity and learning: evidence from a post-WW2 intellectual reparations program

Abstract Prior work indicates that proximity facilitates learning, but proximity reflects individual choices. New data on a British post-World War 2 program to detain and interrogate German industrial experts allow us to minimize selection bias and to disentangle individual dimensions of proximity. Our empirical analysis of post-detention patenting activities suggests that cognitive proximity was more important for interactive learning than social and institutional proximity. Detention in the UK increased inventors’ subsequent likelihood of interacting with UK partners as well as their post-detention patent output.

The role of proximity dimensions and mutual commitment in shaping the performance of university-industry research centres

ABSTRACT Based on a longitudinal study of two university-industry research centres, this paper examines how proximity along the dimensions of social and cognitive proximity and mutual commitment enables partners to comply with the research centres’ goals of developing academic publications and innovations. We propose that social and cognitive proximity are equally important for complying with the goals, and we identify how these proximities co-evolve with actors’ activities and interactions over time. Our main contributions are linked to the relationships among these proximities where repeated contact (social proximity) and mutual commitment are found to be key enablers for developing mutual understanding (cognitive proximity) between firms and university partners.

Green technologies and Smart Specialisation Strategies: a European patent-based analysis of the intertwining of technological relatedness and key enabling technologies

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the green diversification of regional technologies and its consistency with the Smart Specialisation logic of related diversification. It also analyses the role that key enabling technologies (KETs), as a key pillar of Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3), have in green branching. Working on a patent-based panel (1981–2013) of 240 European regions, it is found that the relatedness to pre-existing knowledge makes a new green-tech specialization more probable. This holds true for the relatedness to both green and non-green pre-existing knowledge, but to a greater extent for the latter. Thus, the ‘hybridization’ of non-environmental technologies seems to require lower cognitive proximity than ‘pure’ green branching. Regional KETs also facilitate the transition towards sustainable technologies and negatively moderate the green impact of the relatedness to pre-existing technologies, both green and non-green. The results confirm that Smart Specialisation policies and the support to KETs could also help regions move towards environmental sustainability.

Banks’ audit committees, audit firm alumni and fees paid to audit firm

Purpose This paper focuses on bank audit committees and examines whether audit committee members who are former auditors are associated with the acquisition of audit and non-audit services from their former employers. Design/methodology/approach The study empirically examines a sample of large banks that are included in the S&P Composite 1500. Findings The paper reports significantly lower audit fees and a higher proportion of non-audit fees to total fees when the audit committee chair is an alumnus of the incumbent audit firm. Moreover, additional analysis reveals that these findings are stronger for banks with more earnings management. Research limitations/implications Overall, the findings indicate that audit firms might consider banks using their alumni as audit committee chairs to be less risky or easier to audit, thus requiring relatively less effort from the auditors. The reduced effort required to audit clients with audit firm alumni on their audit committees then has the effect of reducing the audit fees charged. Alternatively, their auditing experience and cognitive proximity might influence the assessment of the need for auditing or the ability to negotiate lower audit fees on the part of audit firm alumni. Originality/value This paper provides empirical evidence of the association between audit firm alumni in influential positions on an audit committee and fees paid to those audit firms in the banking industry. The findings contribute to the literature by suggesting that banks with affiliated former auditors chairing their audit committees not only have significantly lower audit fees but also a higher proportion is spent on non-audit services.

Do systemic innovation intermediaries broaden horizons? A proximity perspective on R&D partnership formation

ABSTRACT As systemic innovation intermediaries (SII) orchestrate interactions between innovative actors, they might alleviate the constraints of proximity effects on R&D partnership formation. We test this for existing and new R&D projects established under the Dutch Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation. Regression results show that partnerships between firms belonging to the same SII are less sensitive to cognitive proximity, suggesting that the intermediaries facilitate uncommon distant collaboration. At the same time, we find that SII may strengthen social proximity among partners. The influence of organisational proximity seems independent of SII, while geographic proximity loses relevance after the introduction of the intermediaries. SII thus seem to create bridges between distant firms that otherwise may not have collaborated together, while also enhancing the risk of excessive in-group thinking. We conclude with research and policy implications. Abbreviation Research and development (R&D)

Absorptive Capacity, Research Output Sharing, and Research Output Capture in University-Industry Partnerships

At present, we have a very limited understanding of how the differences in partner absorptive capacity affect the distribution of innovative outcomes obtained in research-intensive collaborative projects. The current paper addresses this shortcoming by examining how firms and universities maintain the balance between the research output sharing and research output capture modes in their research partnerships. Through introducing a concept of the absorptive capacity gap, this study highlights the role of the relative/comparative dimensions of partner absorptive capacity in establishing the balance between relinquishing and taking control of the marketable innovative results achieved in university-industry collaborative projects. It offers a conceptual framework describing the joint impact of relative absorptive capacity and the absorptive capacity gap on the research output sharing/capture balance in university-industry collaboration. It also explores the potential shifts in this balance stemming from the influence of relationship-specific factors, such as mutual trust, positive prior ties, cognitive proximity, and cultural compatibility between the firms and universities. It concludes with theoretical and practical implications of the proposed framework for enhancing the knowledge-creating potential in university-industry collaboration.

The role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration for radical and incremental innovation: a study of a transition economy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration and how it relates to radical and incremental innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on quantitative approach to analyze the data of 218 firms in a developing and transition economy. The proposal model is tested with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe authors’ findings show that cognitive proximity facilitates decision synchronization and incentive alignment in the supply chain. Furthermore, the authors’ results indicate that information sharing and decision synchronization are determinants of radical innovation while incentive alignment is a determinant of incremental innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was cross-sectional, so the authors could not consider the control variable such as sectors or firms’ size. It is hard to control the specific features of cognitive proximity in one single industry when using cross-sectional data. In future investigations, it may be possible to use a different dimension of proximity to explain the implementation of collaboration for innovation.Originality/valueThis study attempted to explore the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain implementation process in the context of a transition economy. Moreover, the authors’ findings provide the clearer understanding of the relationship between collaboration and innovation.

University and Practice – Cooperation in Research and Science: Case study of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

Purpose: Besides their educational and research functions, universities are currently essential for dissemination of knowledge in innovation processes, thus affecting the economic and social development of their environments. The formalized cooperation of the Slovak University of Agriculture (SUA) in Nitra and its partners in research and science was examined in this context.Methodology/Approach: Formal cooperation of the university with working life partners in terms of their sectoral and geographic affiliation was analyzed in the paper. The Central Register of Contracts and the SUA Internal Register of Contracts were used as principal sources of data. Based on interviews and selected studies conducted in the Slovak Republic we further focused on identification of barriers to the transfer of the results of research into practice.Findings: The paper confirmed cognitive and spatial proximity between SUA and its partners. The sectoral focus of the partners is closely related to the profile of the university. From the spatial point of view, more significant concentration of SUA partners in the region of Western Slovakia was confirmed. We identified several barriers to the transfer of the results of scientific research activities from the university environment into practical life.Research Limitation/implication: We conducted research on the example of one university, thus it is not possible to generalize the results.Originality/Value of paper: The paper analyzes the collaboration of the University in science and research with partners in practical life and identifies weaknesses and barriers to this cooperation.

Interaction between different forms of proximity in inter‐organizational scientific collaboration: The case of medical sciences research network in the Yangtze River Delta region

AbstractThe combined importance of geographical and non‐geographical proximity has been extensively examined, but the interactions between both—substitution/complementarity—are less well understood. This paper therefore explores the impact of, and interaction between different forms of proximity (geographical, institutional, social, cognitive and cultural/linguistic proximity) on knowledge collaboration in the medical sciences sector in the Yangtze River Delta. The results show that most dimensions of proximity have a positive impact on scientific collaboration. We find that institutional proximity can compensate for the lack of geographical proximity, which in turn reinforces social and cognitive proximity in facilitating inter‐organizational scientific collaboration.

The structure and proximity mechanism of formal innovation networks: Evidence from Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs

AbstractThe discussion on innovation networks of patents or papers has attracted many economic geographers; however, the Industrial Technology Innovation Strategy Alliance (ITISA) has been ignored, although it is also an important innovation form of firms, and the formation mechanism of alliance innovation networks is unclear. This study is based on the data of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs between 2010 and 2015, and employs the methods of social networks and negative binomial regression to analyse the actor structure, spatial structure, and proximity mechanism of innovation networks of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs. Results highlight the following: (a) Firms comprise the largest number of actors in alliance innovation networks, and universities, research institutions, and industry associations also play some roles. (b) The local and rooted characteristics of the innovation networks of ITISAs are obvious. The spatial distribution of innovation partners is mainly in Shanghai, and a few innovation actors are located in neighbouring cities, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Ningbo in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. (c) Proximity significantly promotes the formation of innovation networks in an ITISA and contributes to the improvement of innovation ability, and organizational proximity plays a greater role than geographical proximity or cognitive proximity.

Bridging practices, institutions, and landscapes through a scale-based approach for research and practice: A case study of a business association in South India

There is a need for enterprises to incorporate information on the environment into decision making and to take action on ecological restoration. Within academia, a comprehensive understanding of the impacts on how business can serve sustainability transformation is still lacking as diverging holistic approaches and reductive approaches cloud academic thinking. The authors take a science-policy interface perspective to cover the role of cognitive proximity, matching and coordination of scientific knowledge from diverse stakeholders for effective policy making and implementation. We show through a literature review that temporal and spatial scales, soil and land degradation, institutions and ecosystem, and the role of human behavior and narrative are not adequately emphasized in sustainability research. A scale-based picture, focusing on landscapes, institutions and practices is proposed which can be used to align diverse fields by acting as “bridge” for improved science policy interface and decision making, facilitated through cognitive proximity, matching, and coordination. A case study on a business association from South India is used to demonstrate the scales based approach in practice. A scale-based approach can play a key role in connecting human behaviour, a social science thematic topic, with ecosystems, a natural science thematic topic.

Co‐inventor networks and knowledge production in specialized and diversified cities

AbstractResearch on the US urban system has shown that metropolitan regions with more local and non‐local network ties outperform cities where economic agents are isolated. Yet, little attention is given to the character of the local knowledge base and how that influences network structure. We show that co‐inventor networks differ between cities that produce specialized and diversified knowledge. Models of tie‐formation show inventors in specialized cities value spatial proximity less and cognitive proximity more than inventors in diversified cities as they partner with non‐local inventors. These findings suggest that the influence of social networks on knowledge production is conditioned by the architecture of the local knowledge base.

Technological Upgrading in Chinese Cities: The Role of FDI and Industrial Structure

ABSTRACTForeign direct investment (FDI) has long been regarded as a key source of new knowledge external to the domestic economy, but relatively little is known about how the host regions’ technological upgrading is affected by industrial structure in terms of considering cognitive proximity. This article explores how industrial structure, whether related or unrelated, influences technological upgrading within and across cities. Based on a panel dataset on 239 Chinese cities in 2001–2009, our empirical results show that FDI spillover has a positive effect on local technological upgrading in both nearby and neighboring cities. Therefore, in Chinese cities, related industrial variety significantly enhances FDI spillover, while unrelated industrial variety diminishes FDI spillover. Only related industrial variety has a spatial effect, and it facilitates technology transfers and disseminations of FDI across cities. Our empirical evidence has implications at both the theoretical level and for policy making.

Formation and output of collaborations: the role of proximity in German nanotechnology

The development and deployment of technologies depend upon collaborations concurrently relying on proximity between partners. By employing publication data of German nanotechnology, we augment former findings on the relationship between proximity and collaboration in three ways. First, we shed light on how the various forms of proximity affect different stages of collaboration. Particularly, we split geographical proximity into pure physical and systemic proximity. By doing so, we can show that pure physical proximity plays a role early on, as it positively influences the formation of collaborations. In contrast, systemic proximity affects collaborations later on by inducing higher output. Second, innovation systems shape collaboration networks. We learn that specific features of publicly funded German research organizations influence the formation and output of collaborations via organizational proximity or a lack thereof. Third, cognitive proximity has by far the strongest magnitude of effect on both the formation and the output of collaborations. Particularly, existing partnership being cognitively diverse have a lot of potential. Therefore, research policy and university management might consider to stimulating current partnerships, being cognitively different.

Economic drivers in cross-border regional innovation systems

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the main forces driving economic integration in cross-border regions (CBRs). Drawing on the proximity framework, it contends that all four forms of proximity need to be stressed in cross-border regional economic integration discourses. The paper is based on a comparison of two cross-border regional contexts in North America, which have been investigated using a survey and semi-structured interviews. Based upon the data collected, the two case studies shed a light on cognitive proximity as an underestimated driver in CBRs. Moreover, the cross-border regional identity as well as the access to a talented workforce emerge as remarkable assets to leverage through appropriate cross-border regional policies.