Knowledge specialization, organizational coupling, and the boundaries of the firm: Why do firms know more than they make?

Administrative Science Quarterly,  Dec, 2001  by Stefano Brusoni,  Andrea Prencipe,  Keith Pavitt

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Stefano Brusoni [coauthor, "Knowledge Specialization and the Boundaries of the Firm: Why Do Firms Know More Than They Make?"] is a research fellow at SPRU-Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RF, U.K. (e-mail: s.brusoni@sussex.ac.uk). His research interests include the division and coordination of innovative labor; the organizational implications of knowledge specialization and complexity; and the measurement of knowledge production and distribution processes within and across firms. He has published his work in industrial and Corporate Change and Journal of Management Studies. Publications not cited in the paper include "Managing Knowledge in Loosely Coupled Networks: Exploring the Links between Product and Knowledge Dynamics," with A. Prencipe (Journal of Management Studies, 38: 1019-1035). He was awarded his Ph.D. by the University of Sussex. His thesis explored the determinants of firms' vertical integration decisions and project management strategies in the U.K. chemical industry.

Keith Pavitt [coauthor, "Knowledge Specialization and the Boundaries of the Firm: Why Do Firms Know More Than They Make?"] is R. M. Phillips Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the University of Sussex, England. He can be reached at SPRU-Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, BN1 9RF, U.K. (e-mail: k.pavitt@sussex.ac.uk, or k.pavitt@britishlibrary.net). His current research interests include (1) the interactions among technology, organization, and corporate strategy and (2) how and why academic research is useful and its implications for public and corporate policies. Recent publications include (with J. Tidd and J. Bessant) Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change (Wiley, 1997; 2d ed., 2001); (with P. Patel) "How Technological Competencies Help Define the Core (not the Boundaries) of the Firm," in G. Dosi, R. R. Nelson, and S. G. Winter (eds.), The

Nature and Dynamics of Organizational Capabilities: 313-333 (Oxford University Press, 2000); "Why EU Funding of Academic Research Should Be Increased: A Radical Proposal" (Science and Public Policy, 27: 455-460); (with W. E. Steinmueller) "Technology in Corporate Strategy: Change, Continuity and the Information Revolution," in A. Pettigrew, H. Thomas, and R. Whittington (eds.), Handbook of Strategy and Management: 344-372 (Sage, 2001); and "Public Policies to Support Basic Research: What Can the Rest of the World Learn from US Theory and Practice? (And What They Should Not Learn.)" (Industrial and Corporate Change, forthcoming). Professor Pavitt has an M.A. from Cambridge University in engineering and industrial management and is Doctor "Honoris Causa," University Complutense, Madrid in economics.

Andrea Prencipe [coauthor, "Knowledge Specialization and the Boundaries of the Firm: Why Do Firms Know More Than They Make?"] is an associate professor of economics and management of innovation, Universita G. D'Annunzio, Faculty of Economics, Viale Pindaro, 42, 65127 Pescara, Italy, and a research fellow in SPRU-Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RF U.K. (e-mail: a.prencipe@sussex.ac.uk). His research interests are technology and corporate strategy, technology and innovation management, business-to-business e-commerce, organizational learning, and organizational memory. Publications not cited in the paper include "Managing Knowledge in Loosely Coupled Networks: Exploring the Links between Product and Knowledge Dynamics," with S. Brusoni (Journal of Management Studies, 38:1019-1035), and "The Role of Knowledge Bases in Complex Product Systems: Some Empirical Evidence from the Jet Engine Industry," with M. Paoli (Journal of Management and Governance, vol. 3, no. 2). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sussex on technology strategy in the aircraft engine industry. He has an M.A. in innovation management from Scuola Superiore S.Anna, Pisa, Italy, and an M.Sc. in technology.

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