Working knowledge, the university‐industry linkage in Thailand: concepts and issues

Published date24 October 2008
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/03055720810917741
Pages507-524
Date24 October 2008
AuthorLugkana Worasinchai,Vincent M. Ribière,Aurilla Aurélie Bechina Arntzen
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management
Working knowledge, the
university-industry linkage in
Thailand: concepts and issues
Lugkana Worasinchai and Vincent M. Ribie
`re
Bangkok University, Bangkok, Thailand, and
Aurilla Aure
´lie Bechina Arntzen
Buskerud University College, Kongsberg, Norway
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to present a general framework for fostering research collaboration and
knowledge flow between university and industry in Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach – With the aim of comprehending complex interactions of the
university-industry (U-I) linkage, the adopted research methodology for collecting data is based on a
combination of various approaches, such as qualitative methods encompassing in-depth interviews,
researcher participations and various documents analysis.
Findings – A framework (Government, University, Industry and Networks: G-U-I-N) was developed
encompassing the main factors that could make U-I relationships more successful in Thailand.
Knowledge management is an important enabler of this framework.
Originality/value – This paper presents the various elements (enablers) necessary for an emerging
country, such as Thailand, to establish or strengthen successful collaboration and research projects
between universities and industries in order to remain competitive.
Keywords Universities,Manufacturing industries, Knowledgetransfer, Collaboration, Networking,
Thailand
Paper type Research paper
1. Overview
New trends in globalization and rising competition have led to crucial challenges to
overcome such as rapid technological changes, shortened product lifecycle,
downsizing, highly market volatility, political instability (Drucker, 2001). With the
emergence of new economical leading actors, new type of issues have raised while new
linkages between economical actors have drawn up. During the last decade, the world
economy has expanded at an unprecedented rate; world trade has tripled while the
number of patents reached a record of 5.6 million (Gurrı
´a, 2008). In this competitive
context, organizations have come to recognize that innovation is a vital ingredient for
survival and for profitability in a knowledge-based economy (Arntzen Bechina, 2007;
Cumming, 1998). Innovative organizations usually have higher global market share,
higher growth rates, higher profitability and higher market valuations (Dresdow,
1993).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0305-5728.htm
The authors would like to sincerely thank the organizations that agreed to participate in their
study and for their willingness to share with them their valuable insights, experience and
suggestions. A special thanks to Dr Pugdee Manaves for a valuable contribution.
Working
knowledge, the
U-I linkage
507
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 38 No. 4, 2008
pp. 507-524
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055720810917741
In order to cope with these challenges, successful organizations must focus on
managing efficiently their corporate knowledge that is seen by many as a key source
for competitive advantage and innovation (Laestadius, 2004; David and Johnson, 1997).
However, it is as well recognized that the most daunting task is to identify the crucial
knowledge that improves the business processes. While knowledge is central, the
understanding of knowing process, learning and knowledge generation process are
crucial (Ku
¨pers and Ja
¨ger, 2005; Apostolou and Mentzas, 1999). Companies
understanding the need to harness knowledge are aware about the decisive issue of
creating an adequate socio-technical structure and suitable strategies fostering
creation and application of new knowledge processes, and thus fostering innovations
capabilities. With the realization of the value of knowledge, organizations have begun
looking at how to increase organizational knowledge to gain competitiveness and to
become innovative organizations (Husted and Michailova, 2002; Gupta and
Michailova, 2004). An important ingredient of a rounded knowledge management
initiative is the ability for companies to utilize externally generated scientific
knowledge such the one transferred from universities (Agrawal, 2001).
Although, it is recognized that companies need to invest in in-house research and
development (R&D) with the purpose to gain competitiveness, studies show that firms
must be connected not only to the open science community, but must be as well
strongly engaged in research collaboration (Cockburn and Henderson, 1998,
Brennenraedts et al., 2006, Sandelin, 2003).
The idea and concepts associated with university-industry partnerships are not new
and it is commonly agreed that universities are an important source of new knowledge
for industry (Agrawal, 2001). In the USA some of the most prestigious unive rsities (e.g,
MIT) were established more than one century ago to support close research
relationships between university and industry (U-I) (Matkin, 1990).
The partnership (U-I) has been considered as one of the main factors contributing to
successful US innovation and growth in the past two decades (Hall, 2004).
There is plethora of research studies on identifying and analyzing cultural,
technical, legal and macro-organizational factors governing the success of U-I
collaboration (Hermans and Castiaux, 2007; Leuven and Oosterlinck, 2005; Sandelin,
2003).
Lee (2000) has conducted a survey involving more than 400 research joint ventures;
he aimed at identifying the motivations in participating in an U-I partnership. Industry
participants ranked their reasons (the most important to the least) as follows:
(1) access to new research;
(2) new products development;
(3) sustaining a stronger relationship with the university;
(4) new patents acquisition; and
(5) solving specific technical problem.
University participation was rather motivated by acquiring research funding or
laboratory equipments. Participants highly ranked their need to be able to test and
validate their theoretical and empirical research (Lee, 2000).
VINE
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508

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