Twentieth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

This research aims at studying technological innovation and patenting as well as co-invention networks. It employs the conventional measures of centrality analyses to examine the factors that enhance the competitive advantage of firms working in the Artificial Intelligence industry (AI), in which organizational learning and knowledge are key factors. The study investigates the role of co-invention networks in fostering the knowledge transfer. In particular, the key R&D inventors are identified through the analysis of the invention network of patents; information on inventors is used to explore the determinants that promote the technological innovation of the company. Data pertaining to a total of 598 inventors have been extracted from the INTEX database using information from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The analysis focused on three leading AI companies: IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo. By examining the profiles of the inventors of IBM and Microsoft, it appears that the few inventors who have a high “degree” and a high “betweenness” centrality are the eminent persons in the AI industry. Results indicate that the three companies are equipped with decentralized networks with numerous clusters. It is suggested that this structure enables members to reach each other directly in one step, which in turn, may accelerate knowledge exchange between members.