Barriers to scientific and technical knowledge acquisition in industrial R&D
Author:
- 1 April 1992
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in R&D Management
- Vol. 22 (2) , 135-143
Abstract
An understanding of how companies acquire external knowledge is important for any organisation which participates in technology transfer partnerships. The process of external knowledge acquisition within the development function of the pharmaceutical industry is described. Six pharmaceutical companies participated in this study. Group depth interviews were conducted with scientists from a wide range of disciplines and at different levels of seniority within their companies. Senior managers and information officers were interviewed individually. The findings indicated that, although this industry is a leader in formalised information services and commercial database usage, even here significant barriers to the acquisition of scientific and technological knowledge exist. In several of the companies examined the process of information acquisition is not addressed strategically and implemented at laboratory level.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Information systems in research and development: the technological gatekeeper reconsideredR&D Management, 1983
- SPECIALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING ACTIVITIES AMONG UPPER LEVEL EXECUTIVESJournal of Management Studies, 1981
- Characteristics and External Orientations of Boundary Spanning Individuals.Academy of Management Journal, 1981
- R&D strategy in the U.S. pharmaceutical industryResearch Policy, 1979
- Special Boundary Roles in the Innovation ProcessAdministrative Science Quarterly, 1977
- The roles of science in technological innovationResearch Policy, 1974
- The role of communications in technological innovationResearch Policy, 1973
- APPLICATION AND IMPLEMENTATIONDecision Sciences, 1973
- Information Flow in Research and Development LaboratoriesAdministrative Science Quarterly, 1969