Knowledge systematisation, reconfiguration and the organisation of firms and industry: the case of design

TY - JOUR

T1 - Knowledge systematisation, reconfiguration and the organisation of firms and industry: the case of design

AU - D'Ippolito, Beatrice

AU - Miozzo, Marcela

AU - Consoli, Davide

PY - 2014/4/19

Y1 - 2014/4/19

N2 - The paper explores two pathways that are crucial for making knowledge economically useful – knowledge systematisation and knowledge reconfiguration – and analyses how their interplay enables the emergence of a new business function or activity. Knowledge systematisation is the abstraction and diffusion of operative principles to the effect of expanding to broader remits practices that had been initially conceived for a narrow purpose. Knowledge reconfiguration involves the conversion and formalisation of these novel practices within existing firm and industry organisation. Using the design activity as a lens, and drawing on primary and secondary interviews and archival data on the home furnishing sectors in Italy, our case study articulates the processes that facilitate the abstraction of general rules from novel practices and the changes that are necessary, both within firm and industry organisation, to foster their diffusion.

AB - The paper explores two pathways that are crucial for making knowledge economically useful – knowledge systematisation and knowledge reconfiguration – and analyses how their interplay enables the emergence of a new business function or activity. Knowledge systematisation is the abstraction and diffusion of operative principles to the effect of expanding to broader remits practices that had been initially conceived for a narrow purpose. Knowledge reconfiguration involves the conversion and formalisation of these novel practices within existing firm and industry organisation. Using the design activity as a lens, and drawing on primary and secondary interviews and archival data on the home furnishing sectors in Italy, our case study articulates the processes that facilitate the abstraction of general rules from novel practices and the changes that are necessary, both within firm and industry organisation, to foster their diffusion.

U2 - 10.1016/j.respol.2014.03.013

DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2014.03.013

M3 - Article

SN - 0048-7333

VL - 43

SP - 1334

EP - 1352

JO - Research policy

JF - Research policy

IS - 8

ER -