Knowing Me, Knowing You: Inventor Mobility and the Formation of Technology-oriented Alliances
研究了企业从竞争对手招聘研发科学家后，如何通过流动发明人传递技术知识和认知框架，促进后续技术联盟的形成，对42家全球制药企业16年数据的分析证实了正向关系。
We link the hiring of research and development scientists from industry competitors to the subsequent formation of collaborative agreements, namely technology-oriented alliances. By transferring technological knowledge as well as cognitive elements to the hiring firm, mobile inventors foster the alignment of decision frames applied by potential alliance partners in the process of alliance formation, thereby making collaboration more likely. Using data on inventor mobility and alliance formation among 42 global pharmaceutical firms over 16 years, we show that inventor mobility is positively associated with the likelihood of alliance formation in periods following inventor movements. This relationship becomes more pronounced if mobile employees bring additional knowledge about their prior firm’s technological capabilities and for alliances aimed at technology development rather than for agreements related to technology transfer. It is weakened, however, if a firm is already familiar with the competitor’s technological capabilities. By revealing these relationships, our study contributes to research on alliance formation, employee mobility, and organizational frames.