Gatekeepers of Knowledge within Industrial Districts: Who They Are, How They Interact

Morrison A. Gatekeepers of knowledge within industrial districts: who they are, how they interact, Regional Studies. Studies on industrial districts suggest that their innovative performance is strictly linked to their ability to absorb external knowledge. Yet, the existing literature provides few insights into the functioning of this process. This paper, focusing on leader firms located in a successful Italian furniture district, investigates whether they feed the district with knowledge absorbed from external sources, thereby behaving as ‘gatekeepers of knowledge’. Findings show that leader firms are well connected with knowledge sources; yet, linkages with districts firms are far more limited as are informal exchanges that, when they do occur, are mostly restricted to generic information. Morrison A. Les gardiens du savoir dans les régions industrielles: qui sont-ils, comment interagissent-ils?, Regional Studies. De récentes études sur les régions industrielles suggèrent que leurs performances en matière d'innovation sont strictement liées à leur capacité à absorber le savoir extérieur. Néanmoins, la littérature existante fournit peu d'éclaircissements quant au fonctionnement de ce processus. Cet article, axé sur des sociétés leaders situées dans une région d'Italie où l'industrie de l'ameublement est prospère, examine si ces sociétés alimentent la région en savoir assimilé auprès de sources extérieures, se comportant ce faisant en gardiens du savoir. Les résultats montrent que ces sociétés leaders sont bien connectées aux sources de savoir; néanmoins, les liens avec les entreprises de la région sont beaucoup plus limités que ne le sont les échanges informels qui, lorsqu'ils interviennent effectivement, se limitent pour l'essentiel à des informations génériques. Flux de savoir Régions industrielles Sociétés leaders Communauté de techniciens Industrie de l'ameublement Région de Murge Morrison A. Wissensregulatoren in Industriebezirken: Wer sie sind und in welcher Wechselwirkung sie zueinander stehen, Regional Studies. Aus den neuesten Studien über Industriebezirke geht hervor, dass die innovative Leistung dieser Bezirke stark von ihrer Fähigkeit abhängt, externes Wissen zu absorbieren. Die Funktionsweise dieses Prozesses wurde in der Literatur hingegen bisher nur selten untersucht. In diesem Beitrag konzentrieren wir uns auf führende Firmen in einem erfolgreichen italienischen Möbelindustriebezirk und untersuchen, ob diese Firmen den Bezirk mit Wissen aus externen Quellen anreichern und somit als Wissensregulatoren auftreten. Die Ergebnisse lassen darauf schließen, dass führende Firmen gut mit Wissensquellen verknüpft sind. Die Verknüpfungen zu den Firmen des Bezirks sind jedoch weitaus stärker eingeschränkt; dasselbe gilt für den informellen Austausch, der – wenn er überhaupt auftritt – sich meist auf generelle Informationen beschränkt. Wissensströme Industriebezirke Führende Firmen Gemeinschaft der Fachleute Möbelindustrie Region Murge Morrison A. Guardianes del conocimiento en comarcas industriales: quiénes son y cómo interactúan, Regional Studies. En recientes estudios se ha observado que el rendimiento innovador de las comarcas industriales está estrictamente vinculado a su capacidad de absorber conocimiento externo. Sin embargo, la literatura presente ofrece pocas perspectivas en cuanto al funcionamiento de este proceso. En este ensayo me centro en empresas líderes ubicadas en una comarca italiana conocida por su exitosa industria del mueble e investigo si estas empresas proporcionan a la comarca conocimientos absorbidos de fuentes externas y si entonces se comportan como guardianes del conocimiento. Los resultados indican que si bien las empresas líderes están bien conectadas con fuentes de conocimiento, los enlaces con empresas de la comarca están mucho más limitados que los intercambios informales que, aunque ocurren, están principalmente restringidos a información genérica. Flujos de conocimiento Comarcas industriales Empresas líderes Comunidad de técnicos Industria del mueble Región de Murge

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