Technology as a complex adaptive system: evidence from patent data

被引：819

作者：

Fleming, L

Sorenson, O

机构：

[1] Harvard Univ, Sch Business Adm, Boston, MA 02163 USA

[2] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Anderson Sch Management, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA

来源：

RESEARCH POLICY | 2001年 / 30卷 / 07期

关键词：

invention; complexity; interdependence; modularity; recombination;

D O I：

10.1016/S0048-7333(00)00135-9

中图分类号：

C93 [管理学];

学科分类号：

12 ; 1201 ; 1202 ; 120202 ;

摘要：

This paper develops a theory of invention by drawing on complex adaptive systems theory. We see invention as a process of recombinant search over technology landscapes. This framing suggests that inventors might face a 'complexity catastrophe' when they attempt to combine highly interdependent technologies. Our empirical analysis of patent citation rates supports this expectation. Our results also suggest, however, that the process of invention differs in important ways from biological evolution. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on technological evolution, industrial change, and technology strategy. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

引用

页码：1019 / 1039

页数：21

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