{"title":"In-between identity work: Transcending boundaries in university-industry collaboration","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.technovation.2024.103128","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scholarly literature has scarcely addressed the intricacies surrounding individual work identity and its ramifications within the context of university-industry collaboration (UIC). In an endeavour to address this lacuna and enhance our comprehension, this study explicates how individuals engaging in UIC experience identity struggles and perform identity work by constructing and reconstructing their self-conception and the notion of what they can do. A single case study, of a research centre situated in Northern Europe with prolonged collaborative effort, was used as the methodological approach. The findings proffer insights into micro-foundations of UIC by outlining various ways individuals conduct identity work to navigate and bridge cognitive and behavioural boundaries. This knowledge disputes the prevailing view that UIC related identity tensions and struggles should be resolved at the organizational level. Instead, identity work is shown to be crucial in harnessing these struggles to support the knowledge exchange and creation, necessary for innovation. An emergent model of in-between identity work is generated demonstrating how individuals perform identity work at the intersection of organizational boundaries allowing them to embody both collective and individual identities, fostering belonging while preserving the cognitive and institutional variety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49444,"journal":{"name":"Technovation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Technovation","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497224001780","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, INDUSTRIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Scholarly literature has scarcely addressed the intricacies surrounding individual work identity and its ramifications within the context of university-industry collaboration (UIC). In an endeavour to address this lacuna and enhance our comprehension, this study explicates how individuals engaging in UIC experience identity struggles and perform identity work by constructing and reconstructing their self-conception and the notion of what they can do. A single case study, of a research centre situated in Northern Europe with prolonged collaborative effort, was used as the methodological approach. The findings proffer insights into micro-foundations of UIC by outlining various ways individuals conduct identity work to navigate and bridge cognitive and behavioural boundaries. This knowledge disputes the prevailing view that UIC related identity tensions and struggles should be resolved at the organizational level. Instead, identity work is shown to be crucial in harnessing these struggles to support the knowledge exchange and creation, necessary for innovation. An emergent model of in-between identity work is generated demonstrating how individuals perform identity work at the intersection of organizational boundaries allowing them to embody both collective and individual identities, fostering belonging while preserving the cognitive and institutional variety.
期刊介绍:
The interdisciplinary journal Technovation covers various aspects of technological innovation, exploring processes, products, and social impacts. It examines innovation in both process and product realms, including social innovations like regulatory frameworks and non-economic benefits. Topics range from emerging trends and capital for development to managing technology-intensive ventures and innovation in organizations of different sizes. It also discusses organizational structures, investment strategies for science and technology enterprises, and the roles of technological innovators. Additionally, it addresses technology transfer between developing countries and innovation across enterprise, political, and economic systems.