Sustainable Economic Growth and the Adaptability of a National System of Innovation: A Socio-Cognitive Explanation for South Korea’s Mired Technology Transfer and Commercialization Process

Tahir Hameed, Peter Von Staden and Ki-Seok Kwon
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Tahir Hameed: SolBridge International School of Business, 128 Uam-Ro Dong-Gu, Daejeon 34613, Korea
Peter Von Staden: Kedge Business School, Domaine de Luminy, Rue Antoine Bourdelle, 13009 Marseille, France
Ki-Seok Kwon: Department of Public Policy, Hanbat National University, 125 Dongseo-daero, Deogmyeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34104, Korea

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-26

Abstract: Sustainable economic growth is closely linked to a national system of innovation’s (NSI) adaptability. The NSI of a country in catch-up mode is different than one at the technology frontier. In this exploratory paper we use a socio-cognitive approach to demonstrate that shared mental models (SMMs) need to change with the evolution of a NSI to sustain growth. For South Korea in particular, this insight offers a way for it realize better technology transfer and commercialization (TTC) performance and a new cognitive model for its TTC teams to transition to and operate at the technology frontier. We use cognitive mapping techniques to interpret the interviews of teams in South Korea’s public research institutes active in TTC. Their SMMs reveal that a top-down policy for catching-up NSIs reinforces SMMs around a linear commercialization process. Alternatively, the participatory policy approach of frontier innovation systems supports interaction and the active learning of their actors’ SMMs. This affords a wider variety of innovation and commercialization processes. Consequently, a policy of transitioning NSIs that remains top-down freezes TTC teams in their existing SMMs fettering growth. By extension, as a transitioning NSI, South Korea should adopt policy that reconfigures its existing SMMs to encourage a more open approach to TTC.

Keywords: sustainable growth; technology transfer; technology commercialization; science and technology policy; socio-cognition; shared mental models; congruence; national innovation systems; South Korea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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