The micro-foundations of conflicts in joint university-industry laboratories

Dhruba Borah and Paul Ellwood

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2022, vol. 175, issue C

Abstract: Whilst extensive research has been conducted on the management of research and development (R&D) alliances between universities and industrial firms, it has largely been concerned with macro-level phenomena such as innovation processes and institutional influences on collaboration. In this conceptual paper, we contribute to the growing research on the micro-foundations of the management of university-industry cooperation by developing a parsimonious theory to explain the origins of conflicts between R&D actors in joint university-industry research laboratories (joint UI labs). We mobilise a theoretical perspective new to this literature that accounts for the variety of individual interests within complex management contexts: multiple agency theory. By these means, we resolve the multitude of individual relationships within a joint UI lab into the interactions between "principals" (e.g., a lab manager) and "agents" (e.g., a scientist). We explain the origins of principal-agent conflicts within joint UI labs in terms of multiple identities, differences in temporal orientation, transcending relationships, claims to ownership of co-produced knowledge, and bargaining power asymmetry. This micro-foundational focus allows us to recommend more nuanced management strategies for mitigating conflicts. We also discuss several potential avenues for future research.

Keywords: Joint university-industry laboratories; University-industry collaborations; Multiple agency theory; Micro-foundations; Conflicts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:175:y:2022:i:c:s0040162521008088

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121377

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