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Where do firms' recombinant capabilities come from? Intraorganizational networks, knowledge, and firms' ability to innovate through technological recombination

Author

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  • Gianluca Carnabuci
  • Elisa Operti

Abstract

A firm's innovativeness is driven by its ability to recombine existing technologies. Elaborating on this argument, we contend that there exist two distinct types of recombinant capabilities. First, firms may innovate through recombinant creation, i.e., by creating technological combinations new to the firm. Second, they may innovate through recombinant reuse; i.e., by reconfiguring combinations already known to the firm. We study what drives each type of capability by examining two factors: the degree of integration of a firm's intraorganizational network and the diversity of its knowledge base. We test our theoretical predictions using data on 126 semiconductor firms between 1984 and 2003. Our analyses indicate that factors that favor recombinant creation generally hinder recombinant reuse and vice versa; however, combining an integrated collaboration network and a diverse knowledge base may concurrently enhance both recombinant capabilities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Gianluca Carnabuci & Elisa Operti, 2013. "Where do firms' recombinant capabilities come from? Intraorganizational networks, knowledge, and firms' ability to innovate through technological recombination," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(13), pages 1591-1613, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:34:y:2013:i:13:p:1591-1613
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.2084
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    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Xueyang & Meng, Qingliang & Sun, Jiajun, 2025. "Recipes for innovation: A configurational analysis of openness, appropriability, and environmental uncertainty," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PD).
    2. Subrahmanyam Aditya Karanam & Deepa Mani & Rajib L. Saha, 2025. "Growing Technological Relatedness to the ICT Industry and Its Impacts," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 36(1), pages 344-369, March.
    3. Daniel Tzabbar & Bruno Cirillo & Stefano Breschi, 2022. "The Differential Impact of Intrafirm Collaboration and Technological Network Centrality on Employees’ Likelihood of Leaving the Firm," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(6), pages 2250-2273, November.
    4. Duong, Phuong-Anh Nguyen & Voordeckers, Wim & Huybrechts, Jolien & Lambrechts, Frank, 2026. "When less is more: resource constraints and radical innovation in family firms and non-family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    5. Tuhin Chaturvedi & John E. Prescott, 2022. "Resource Reconfiguration During Technological Change," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(3), pages 240-265, September.
    6. Zhao, Jianyu & Su, Xinjie & Li, Xixi & Xi, Xi & Yao, Xinlin, 2025. "Forecasting technology convergence with the spatiotemporal link prediction model," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    7. Christian Mealey & Balaji R. Koka & Robert E. Hoskisson, 2025. "Long Jump Learning: Absorbing Distant Knowledge via Familiar Components," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(4), pages 1598-1624, July.
    8. Alex Vestal & Erwin Danneels, 2024. "Unlocking the Inventive Potential of Knowledge Distance in Teams: How Intrateam Network Configurations Provide a Key," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 195-214, January.
    9. Eunkwang Seo & Deepak Somaya, 2022. "Living It Up at the Hotel California: Employee Mobility Barriers and Collaborativeness in Firms’ Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(2), pages 766-784, March.
    10. Zhang, Hao & Zhang, Wenling & Yi, Xingjian, 2026. "Patient capital and corporate digital transformation: Evidence from Chinese A-share listed firms," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    11. Yang, Siqi & Lin, Yan & lv, Shiwen & Wang, Shutian, 2026. "Impact of partners' geographic distance and technological similarity on firms' digital innovation performance: Evidence from the Chinese automobile industry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    12. Killian McCarthy & Rick Aalbers & Claudine Kearney, 2025. "Organising for innovation: alliance-to-acquisition transitions and patent production," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 50(6), pages 2837-2866, December.
    13. Zhou, Jiaxin & Liang, Yaojia & Sun, Zhendong & Zhang, Qianqian, 2025. "Synergistic integration in the digital economy: The impact and mechanisms of digital M&A on corporate technological diversification," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 108(PA).
    14. Ma, Yonghong & Zhu, Enjia, 2025. "How network characteristics drive multi-layer innovation networks to achieve boundary-spanning convergence," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    15. Bae, Jaewan & Kim, Donggyu & Kwon, Kyung Yoon, 2025. "Intrafirm inventor network integration and cross-sectional stock returns," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Yu Zhang & Jianlan Ding & Hui Yan & Miao He & Wei Wang, 2022. "A Study of the Influence of Collaboration Networks and Knowledge Networks on the Citations of Papers in Sports Industry in China," Complexity, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2022(1).

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