Networks, irreversibility and knowledge creation

The aim of this paper is to highlight the effect of irreversibility in partner choice in inter-firm collaborations. In an environment where firms are binded by contractual constraints regarding the duration of partnerships, how does the tacitness and complexity influence the overall knowledge in the industry? Through an agent based simulation model, we compare the knowledge generation in irreversible and reversible systems in two regimes as tacit and codified. The emerging network structures are also analysed. The results reveal that, in tacit regimes irreversible systems generate more knowledge only when product complexity is at an intermediate level. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2013