Professional collaboration in technological innovation: a case of technology licensing of university inventions

Technological innovation, as a collaboration among inventors and complementary knowledge professionals, requires the management of knowledge boundaries and the integration of specialised tasks. We propose that dense collaborations among inventors and professionals facilitate the process of collaboration by reducing coordination cost and by mitigating the uncertainties inherent in technological innovation. In the empirical context of university technology commercialisation, we find that the relational density of three main actors, i.e. inventors, technology managers, and patent attorneys, enhances technology licensing, a major milestone in commercialisation. This occurs especially when the technological field is less institutionalised. Our study contributes to the literature on technological innovation by highlighting the role of interpersonal relations between inventors and complementary knowledge providers as a coordination mechanism in the innovation process.