INNOVATION BY COLLABORATION AMONG FIRMS. A NEW METHODOLOGY - Building Theory from Case Study Research and Simulation Models

Paola Pisano

2010

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to introduce a methodology known as “multi agent systems” (MAS) and show how it could serve not only a similar purpose when compared to cases by using virtual artefacts instead of real world observations, but also overcome the limitation of case study process. Besides being used for creating new theory, this approach is also effective for teaching and transmitting knowledge in a “maieutical” way, through experimentation on the model and cause-effect analysis of results. After describing the paradigm itself, and how it, along with simulation, can be used in social domains, it will be shown how it could interface the conceptual flow typical of case study analysis. Particular attention will be devoted to the interactivity deriving from the way in which this methodology is conceived, allowing researchers to perform “scenario analysis”, i.e.: a process of analyzing future occurrences by considering alternative possible outcomes, after the baseline experiments obtained through the model have given positive results. In the second part of the paper a case study is presented, obtained by employing MAS methodology. It aims to study enterprise collaboration formation and modification: the goal is to study how innovation management and sharing could bring to non-equity link formation among them. The model is introduced in detail and qualitative results are analyzed, by deriving general concepts from them. Last, some points of strength and weaknesses of this methodology are briefly underlined.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Pisano P. (2010). INNOVATION BY COLLABORATION AMONG FIRMS. A NEW METHODOLOGY - Building Theory from Case Study Research and Simulation Models . In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU, ISBN 978-989-674-024-5, pages 106-113. DOI: 10.5220/0002790701060113

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu10,
author={Paola Pisano},
title={INNOVATION BY COLLABORATION AMONG FIRMS. A NEW METHODOLOGY - Building Theory from Case Study Research and Simulation Models},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU,},
year={2010},
pages={106-113},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0002790701060113},
isbn={978-989-674-024-5},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU,
TI - INNOVATION BY COLLABORATION AMONG FIRMS. A NEW METHODOLOGY - Building Theory from Case Study Research and Simulation Models
SN - 978-989-674-024-5
AU - Pisano P.
PY - 2010
SP - 106
EP - 113
DO - 10.5220/0002790701060113