PROFESSIONAL-ASSOCIATIONS AS IMPORTANT MEDIATORS OF THE INNOVATION PROCESS

Innovation depends on new ideas entering an organization and being tra nslated into something implemented and used. This article identifies t he determinants of this knowledge acquisition and transfer. Knowledge is diffused through a variety of networks. One potentially important n etwork is formed by professional associations, which diffuse a specifi c body of knowledge to practitioners and create informal networks of w eak ties, linking members from different organizations. A survey of a particular association's members is used to identify the variables tha t predict the level of two types of technological innovation. Results show that professional association networks are important for innovati on in specific, operational technologies, although infernal communicat ion factors and organization size are also significant predictors For more complex technologies that have implications for the overall philo sophy of operations, different predictors-the existence of a technolog y strategy, the level of external communication, and the level of infl uence of individuals-are relevant.