Professional Associations as Important Mediators of the Innovation Process

Abstract

Innovation depends on new ideas entering an organization and being translated into something implemented and used. This article identifies the determinants of this knowledge acquisition and transfer. Knowledge is diffused through a variety of networks. One potentially important network is formed by professional associations, which diffuse a specific body of knowledge to practitioners and create informal networks of weak ties, linking members from different organizations. A survey of a particular association's members is used to identify the variables that predict the level of two types of technological innovation. Results show that professional association networks are important for innovation in specific, operational technologies, although internal communication factors and organization size are also significant predictors. For more complex technologies that have implications for the overall philosophy of operations, different predictors—the existence of a technology strategy, the level of external communication, and the level of influence of individuals—are relevant.