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Abstract
Little is known about the extent to which the structure of knowledge networks differs between industries and to what degree knowledge relations occur between actors in different industries. This paper presents a network study on the Dutch aviation and space industry. Both industries are often treated as similar and categorized as aerospace accordingly, although they show variations in their knowledge bases. Our study shows that the structure of the knowledge networks differs between the two industries, and few knowledge linkages have been established between the two. Our findings suggest that the gap between the two industries' knowledge networks is more pronounced for market knowledge than for technological knowledge. Non-profit organizations do seem to bridge the knowledge networks of the two industries.
Notes
We interviewed also two firms that were not active in manufacturing or engineering. These firms confirmed the low importance of technological exchange for their firms' competiveness. Moreover, none of the interviewed firms mentioned any maintenance-oriented firm as a relevant knowledge source.
Note that to increase the visibility of the network structures, isolates are not shown in the corresponding figures.
Correlation is estimated according to Butts and Carley (Citation2001). Significance is based on quadratic assignment procedure by Krackhardt (Citation1992).