Session Summary

Session Number:223
Session ID:S166
Session Title:Knowledge and the Meaning of Boundaries
Short Title:Knowledge and Boundaries
Session Type:Division Joint Symposium
Hotel:Hyatt East
Floor:LL2
Room:GndBall E
Time:Monday, August 09, 1999 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Sponsors

BPS  (Ming-Jer Chen)BPS99@wharton.upenn.edu (215) 898-0018 
IM  (Farok Contractor)farok@andromeda.rutgers.edu (973) 353-5348 
TIM  (Deborah Dougherty)doughert@business.rutgers.edu (973) 353-1664 

General People

Chair Almeida, Paul C. Georgetown U. almeidap@gunet.georgetown.edu 202-687-3822 
Discussant Mowery, David C. U. of California, Berkeley mowery@haas.berkeley.edu (510) 643-9992 

Submissions

Beyond local search: boundary spanning exploration in the optical disc industry 
Presenter Rosenkopf, Lori  U. of Pennsylvania ROSENKOPF@wmgt-mail.wharton.upenn.edu (215) 898-6723 
Presenter Nerkar, Atul A. Columbia U. aan19@columbia.edu 212-854-4431 
Learning and leakage: Implications for alliance organization 
Presenter Oxley, Joanne  U. of Michigan joanne_oxley@ccmail.bus.umich.edu (313) 763-0599 
The International Mobility of Experts and Cross-border Knowledge Building 
Presenter Song, Jaeyong  Columbia U. js721@columbia.edu 212-854-4747 
Presenter Almeida, Paul C. Georgetown U. almeidap@gunet.georgetown.edu 202-687-3822 
The local geography of organizational foundings and entries 
Presenter Romanelli, Elaine  Georgetown U. romanele@gunet.georgetown.edu 202-687-4188 

Abstract

Since knowledge has no material content, its creation and diffusion should hardly be spatially bounded. Yet, there is good reason to believe that the creation and diffusion of knowledge may often be prescribed within spatial boundaries. The history of art and commerce is characterized by examples of ideas, inventions and expertise that remain contained within specific temporal and spatial boundaries. Though there is evidence that knowledge diffuses, recent research has also shown that knowledge is sticky - it does not flow easily or quickly across plants within a firm, across locations, or across regions or countries. Though a number of recent studies have developed our understanding about the meaning of boundaries as regards knowledge development, many important issues remain, as yet, ripe for investigation. How do firms overcome the obstacles and harness the advantages presented by technologically and organizationally bounded knowledge? In these days of steadily improving communication and international travel, what do the boundaries of countries mean to the flow of knowledge? Do new organizational forms and the increasing use of alliances blur the boundaries between firms? What is the relationship between the boundaries of regions and industries? This symposium, through the presentation of four current empirical papers, addresses these questions.