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Management of Knowledge Workers

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  • Hvide, Hans K.
  • Kristiansen, Eirik Gaard

Abstract

We study how complementarities and intellectual property rights affect the management of knowledge workers. The main results relay when a firm will wish to sue workers that leave with innovative ideas, and the effects of complementary assets on wages and on worker initiative. We argue that firms strongly protected by property rights may not sue leaving workers in order to motivate effort, while firms weakly protected by complementary assets must sue in order to obtain positive profits. Firms with more complementary assets pay higher wages (and have lower turnover), but such higher pay has a detrimental effect on worker initiative. Our analysis suggests that strengthened property rights protection reduces turnover costs but weakens worker initiative.

Suggested Citation

  • Hvide, Hans K. & Kristiansen, Eirik Gaard, 2007. "Management of Knowledge Workers," CEPR Discussion Papers 6039, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6039
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Herbold & Heiner Schumacher, 2020. "Relational retention," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 490-502, June.
    2. Annamária BENYOVSZKI & Ágnes NAGY & Tünde Petra PETRU, 2013. "Is there a difference between intrapreneurs and early-stage entrepreneurs in Romania?," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(6(583)), pages 53-60, June.
    3. Parker, Simon C., 2011. "Intrapreneurship or entrepreneurship?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 19-34, January.
    4. Englmaier, Florian & Muehlheusser, Gerd & Roider, Andreas, 2010. "Optimal Incentive Contracts under Moral Hazard When the Agent is Free to Leave," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 329, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    5. Ngo Van Long & Antoine Soubeyran & Raphael Soubeyran, 2014. "Knowledge acquisition within an organization: How to retain a knowledge worker using wage profile and non-monotonic knowledge accumulation," CIRANO Working Papers 2014s-32, CIRANO.
    6. Nikolowa, Radoslawa, 2014. "Developing new ideas: Spin-outs, spinoffs, or internal divisions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 70-88.
    7. Englmaier, Florian & Muehlheusser, Gerd & Roider, Andreas, 2014. "Optimal incentive contracts for knowledge workers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 82-106.
    8. Colombo, Luca & Dawid, Herbert, 2016. "Complementary assets, start-ups and incentives to innovate," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 177-190.
    9. Ngo Van Long & Antoine Soubeyran & Raphael Soubeyran, 2014. "Knowledge Accumulation Within An Organization," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 55(4), pages 1089-1128, November.
    10. Ekinci, Emre, 2022. "Employee entrepreneurship and signaling role of corporate venturing decisions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Agnieszka Bieńkowska & Beata Ignacek-Kuźnicka, 2019. "Influence of Knowledge Workers Work Motivation on Their Job Performance - Results of Empirical Research," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2019(5), pages 54-68.
    12. Herbold, Daniel & Schumacher, Heiner, 2020. "The agency costs of on-the-job search," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 435-452.

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    Keywords

    entrepreneurship; Innovation; Ipr; Litigation; Personnel economics; R&d; Start-ups;
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    JEL classification:

    • E00 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - General

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