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Resumen
Partiendo de las teorías evolucionista y del aprendizaje organizacional, el presente artículo se ha centrado en determinar la influencia de desarrollar un portafolio tecnológico diverso en la innovación. El estudio longitudinal de una muestra de empresas biotecnológicas confirma que la diversificación tecnológica afecta positivamente a la capacidad innovadora (medida a través de patentes), aunque dicha relación no es lineal sino curvilínea en forma de U invertida. Esto significa que fomentar una configuración diversificada de tecnologías en un grado óptimo favorece la generación de combinaciones novedosas para resolver problemas complejos, a la vez que permite la integración eficiente y consolidación del nuevo conocimiento. Además, un análisis diferenciado de la diversificación relacionada y no relacionada permite identificar el distinto impacto de cada estrategia en las capacidades de innovación exploratoria y explotativa. El trabajo finaliza discutiendo las implicaciones que para la teoría y la práctica empresarial tienen estos resultados, así como proponiendo líneas futuras de investigación.
Palabras clave:
datos de panel
diversidad tecnológica
capacidad de innovación
patentes
industria de alta tecnología
Abstract
Based on evolutionary and organizational learning theories, this article analyses the influence of a diverse technology portfolio on innovation. A longitudinal study of a sample of biotechnology firms verifies that technological diversification has a positive effect on innovative capability, which is measured as inventive activity (patents). However, such diversity is curvilinearly (taking an inverted U-shape) related to invention. This fact means that enhancing a diversified configuration of technologies increases the generation of novel combinations suitable to solve complex problems, and at the same time facilitates the efficient integration and consolidation of new knowledge. Moreover, a discriminant analysis of related and unrelated technological diversification allows identifying the different impact of each strategy on both exploratory and exploitative innovation capacities. The last section of the paper discusses the implications of these results for theory and managers, and proposes streams for further research.
Key words:
panel data
technological diversification
innovative capability
patents
high technology industry
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Los autores agradecen a Mauro Guillén, Mary Benner, Daniel Levinthal, Gary Pisano así como a los dos evaluadores anónimos los útiles e interesantes comentarios y discusiones que han ayudado a mejorar las versiones preliminares del presente trabajo. Éste es un estudio llevado a cabo en el seno del Grupo de Investigación «Innovación Tecnológica y Calidad» (SEJ-414), financiado por la Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa de la Junta de Andalucía. Los autores quieren ofrecer este artículo como homenaje al ingeniero D. Alfredo A. Quintana Sánchez (In Memoriam) por su valioso apoyo técnico-informático en la elaboración de las bases de datos.
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