Boundary spanning strategy and tacit knowledge recombination: Analysis of joint‐patent networks of patent‐intensive firms

Abstract

AbstractThis paper collects 103 sample firms' 2015 to 2019 data through data envelopment analysis to measure their technical innovation performance and social network analysis to build joint‐patent networks and explore knowledge‐creating alliance relationships. The article highlights how tacit knowledge recombination works as a mechanism of boundary spanning. It emphasizes the significance of strategic balancing networks' position to improve technical innovation performance and competitiveness of patent‐intensive (PI) firms. This research contributes to shedding additional light on the nature of the boundary‐spanning mechanism and PI firms' knowledge exchanges. Specifically, it examines how balancing boundaries spanning through joint‐patent networks can influence the processes of tacit knowledge transmission and recombination between knowledge‐based actors.