Purpose

This study aims to develop a model of learning-by-hiring in which knowledge gains may occur at the time of recruitment but also after recruitment when other incumbent organizational members assimilate a recruit’s knowledge. The author’s model predicts that experienced recruits are more likely to catalyze change to their organization’s core technological capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The continuous-time parametric hazard rate regressions predict core technological change in a long panel (1970–2017) of US biotechnology industry patent data. The author uses over 140,000 patents to model the evolution of knowledge of over 52,000 scientists and over 4,450 firms. To address endogeneity concerns, the author uses the Heckman selection method and does robustness tests using a difference-in-difference analysis.

Findings

The author finds that a hire’s prior research and development (R&D) experience helps overcome inertia arising from her or his new-to-an-organization “distant” knowledge to increase the likelihood of core technological change. In addition, while the author finds that incumbent organizational members resist technological change, experienced hires may effectively induce them to adopt new ways of doing things. This is particularly the case when hires collaborate with incumbents in R&D projects. Understanding the effects of hiring on core technological change, therefore, benefits from an assessment of hire R&D experience and its effects on incumbent inertia in an organization.

Practical implications

First, the author does not recommend managers to hire scientists with considerable distant knowledge only as this may be detrimental to core technological change. Second, the author recommends organizations striving to effectuate technological change to hire people with considerable prior R&D experience as this confers them with the ability to influence other members and socialize incumbent members. Third, the author recommends that managers hire people with both significant levels of prior experience and distant knowledge as they are complements. Finally, the author recommends managers to encourage collaboration between highly experienced hired scientists and long-tenured incumbent organizational members to facilitate incumbent learning, socialization and adoption of new ways of doing things.

Originality/value

This study develops a model of learning-by-hiring, which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to propose, test and advance KM literature by showing the effectiveness of experienced hires to stimulate knowledge diffusion and core technological change over time after being hired. This study contributes to innovation, organizational learning and strategy literatures.

中文翻译：

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组织中招聘知识的传播和核心技术变革

目的

本研究旨在开发一种雇佣学习模型，在该模型中，知识增益可能发生在招聘时，但也可能发生在招聘之后，当其他现任组织成员吸收新聘人员的知识时。作者的模型预测，经验丰富的新员工更有可能促进组织核心技术能力的变革。

设计/方法论/途径

连续时间参数风险率回归预测美国生物技术行业专利数据的长组（1970-2017）中的核心技术变化。作者使用超过 140,000 项专利来模拟超过 52,000 名科学家和超过 4,450 家公司的知识演变。为了解决内生性问题，作者使用赫克曼选择方法并使用双重差分分析进行稳健性检验。

发现

作者发现，员工之前的研发 (R&D) 经验有助于克服其新加入组织的“远距离”知识所产生的惰性，从而增加核心技术变革的可能性。此外，虽然作者发现现任组织成员抵制技术变革，但经验丰富的员工可能会有效地诱导他们采用新的做事方式。当员工与现有人员在研发项目中合作时尤其如此。因此，了解招聘对核心技术变革的影响，可以从评估招聘研发经验及其对组织现有惯性的影响中受益。

实际影响

首先，作者不建议管理者仅仅雇佣具有相当远距离知识的科学家，因为这可能不利于核心技术变革。其次，作者建议努力实现技术变革的组织雇用具有丰富研发经验的人员，因为这使他们有能力影响其他成员并使现任成员社交化。第三，作者建议管理者聘用既有丰富经验又知识渊博的人，因为他们是互补的。最后，作者建议管理者鼓励经验丰富的受聘科学家和长期任职的组织成员之间的合作，以促进现任人员的学习、社交和采用新的做事方式。

原创性/价值

本研究开发了一种雇佣学习模型，据作者所知，该模型是第一个提出、测试和推进知识管理文献的文献，它展示了经验丰富的雇员在刺激知识传播和核心技术变革方面的有效性。被录用后的时间。这项研究有助于创新、组织学习和战略文献。