Información del artículo
Resumen
El objetivo de este estudio es el análisis de las relaciones entre la complejidad del conocimiento y el sostenimiento de ventajas competitivas, a través de la construcción de barreras a la imitación y a la sustitución de las capacidades. El tratamiento teórico de la complejidad y el análisis independiente de la imitabilidad y la sustituibilidad de los activos tecnológicos han permitido avanzar en el estudio de estas relaciones. Los resultados del estudio empírico, realizado en una muestra de empresas de biotecnología españolas, indican que la complejidad protege las capacidades de su imitación. Sin embargo, una excesiva proporción de conocimiento tácito complejo puede tener efectos contraproducentes en la construcción de barreras a la sustitución, al generar desconfianza entre distintos agentes y fomentar que la competencia busque tecnologías alternativas más apreciadas en los mercados.
Palabras clave:
Capacidades tecnológicas
complejidad del conocimiento
sostenimiento de ventajas competitivas
Abstract
The aim of this paper is the analysis of the relationships between knowledge complexity and technology-based competitive advantage sustainability in terms of its barriers to imitation and substitution. The theoretical treatment of complexity construct and the separated analysis of imitability and substitutability of technological assets are the most interesting issues to improve our understanding on this research area. The empirical evidence from a sample of Spanish biotech companies indicates that complex capabilities are the ones more protected from imitation. With respect to barriers to substitution, results show that an excessive proportion of complex tacit knowledge may have a negative influence on sustaining competitive advantage, as it reduces confidence on this technology among interested agents, promoting competitors looking for other more attractive ones.
Keywords:
Technological capabilites
complexity of knowledge
maintenance of competitive advantages
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