The Strategic Allocation of Inventors to R&D Collaborations

Strategic Management Journal, Volume 42, Issue 1, 2021, Pages 144-169

51 Pages Posted: 28 Mar 2016 Last revised: 15 Dec 2020

See all articles by Neus Palomeras

Neus Palomeras

Charles III University of Madrid - Department of Business Administration

David Wehrheim

IESE Business School

Date Written: March 25, 2016

Abstract

In this paper, we suggest that staffing decisions in R&D alliances can reduce the inherent tension between value creation and value protection faced by participating firms. By considering R&D workers a primary source of knowledge leakage, we analyze the role of their intellectual property protection in shaping the misappropriation threat posed by the partner. We rely on patent ownership and inventorship data to analyze the selection of individuals for R&D collaborations in the pharmaceutical industry between 1991 and 2010. Our results suggest that an inventor's strength of intellectual property protection is an important determinant in allocation decisions since it contributes to offsetting leakage risks in the alliance. The effect is especially strong in alliances that anticipate higher hazards.

Keywords: R&D, collaboration, technology leakage, co-patents, inventors

JEL Classification: J24, L65, O31, O32, O34

Suggested Citation

Palomeras, Neus and Wehrheim, David, The Strategic Allocation of Inventors to R&D Collaborations (March 25, 2016). Strategic Management Journal, Volume 42, Issue 1, 2021, Pages 144-169, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2754691 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2754691

Neus Palomeras (Contact Author)

Charles III University of Madrid - Department of Business Administration ( email )

Calle Madrid 126
Getafe, Madrid, Madrid 28903
Spain

David Wehrheim

IESE Business School ( email )

Camino Cerro del Águila, 3
Madrid, Madrid 28023
Spain

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
246
Abstract Views
1,571
Rank
226,053
PlumX Metrics