The sources of social capital within technology incubators: the roles of historical ties and organisational facilitation

Joanne L. Scillitoe and Alok K. Chakrabarti

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2005, vol. 2, issue 4, 327-345

Abstract: There are currently three divergent views regarding the sources of beneficial social capital within collectivities or networks: historical ties, organisational facilitation, and trust-based shared pursuit of common goals. Technology incubators are newer organisational forms that are created to support and accelerate the development and success of affiliated technology-based ventures. However, it is unclear how social capital that benefits the technological development of affiliated ventures is created within technology incubators. Drawing from the social capital, technology, and organisational learning literature, this study seeks to understand how technology incubators can create social capital that enables accelerated technological learning of affiliated ventures. Based upon a survey of 43 technology-based ventures affiliated with US and Finnish technology incubators, results of this study suggest that facilitated networking support of the technology incubator serves as the primary source of social capital that enables accelerated technological learning of affiliated technology-based ventures. However, results also suggest that less-established or newer technology incubators enable accelerated technology learning better than more established incubators. This suggests that technology incubators are not able to maintain historical ties that benefit the technological learning of affiliated ventures.

Keywords: social capital; incubators; technology; technological learning; organisational learning. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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