Title: Rethinking technology transfer

Authors: James W. Dearing

Addresses: Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1212, USA

Abstract: What is the fundamental problem of technology transfer? How is this problem managed by practitioners and investigated by academics? This paper critically addresses these two questions, and suggests that our assumptions about technology transfer processes preclude alternative ways of thinking about technology transfer which may lead to very different applied strategies and theoretical problem-solving. The assumptions of difference-reduction, difference-maintenance, and difference-ambiguity, along with strategies based on each assumption, are introduced and contrasted.

Keywords: technology transfer; homophily; heterophily; difference reduction; difference maintenance; difference ambiguity; university-industry-government relations; personal interactions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1993.025789

International Journal of Technology Management, 1993 Vol.8 No.6/7/8, pp.478 - 485

Published online: 24 May 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article