Emerging technologies, institutional groups and inter-organisational networks: The case of microneedles

Abstract

This paper extends our understanding of how institutional logics contribute to inter-organisational collaboration formation during the emergence of a technology. We classify organisations into five institutional groups – Government (GOV), Healthcare (HC), Industry (IND), Non-Governmental (NGO), and Research and Higher Education (RHE). We then examine the extent to which collaborative relationships within (homophily) and across (heterophily) these groups shape network dynamics. We focus on an emerging technology, namely, microneedles, and estimate a series of Exponential Random Graphs Models (ERGMs) using publication co-authorship data. Our analysis provides evidence that institutional homophily contributes to the formation of inter-organisational ties – indicating that organisational actors tend to establish ties within their group rather than across different groups. However, the impact of this mechanism varies across groups and phases of technological emergence. In the early development stages, institutional homophily drives the formation of homophilous ties within the GOV and IND groups, where collaborations focus on basic technical challenges. This is followed by the HC group, where collaborations centre around clinical applications. In the later development stages, homophily continues to influence the formation of intra-group ties among the GOV, IND, HC, and NGO groups, with collaborations expanding to clinical applications and informing decision-making processes.