Search Boundary, Knowledge Recombination, and Technological Breakthroughs

We examine antecedents of knowledge recombination and technological breakthroughs. Conceptualizing exploration as a combinatory search of prior new-recombination (an original technology component), we juxtapose contrasting effects of the boundary in which firms search for prior new-recombination on the propensities that the resulting invention entails new recombination and becomes a technological breakthrough. We hypothesize that, when the search involves new recombination in prior inventions, the likelihood for the focal invention to generate new recombination is greatest for a boundary spanning search, but that for the focal invention to become a technological breakthrough is greatest for a local search. We find support from the analysis of U.S. nanotechnology patents granted between 1980 and 2006. Our findings highlight the role of a local search in generating technological breakthroughs