DISMANTLING THE IVORY TOWER - THE INFLUENCE OF NETWORKS ON INNOVATIVEOUTPUT IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

In this article we examine how R&D networking affects an organization' s innovative output. Using empirical data on 419 research organization s in transgene plant research over a 20-year period, we test several h ypotheses relating their sociometric position in an R&D network to the ir innovative output. Attention is paid to the relative importance of in-house versus collaborative research. Least squares dummy variable m odels are used to analyze cross-sectional data across different time p eriods. The results show that (1) an organization's ''network embedded ness'' positively influences its innovative output; whereas (2) involv ement in collaborative R&D has a curvilinear effect on innovative perf ormance. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.