اصول طراحی سیستم های کنترل مدیریت در شبکه دانش : تجارب مربوط به شبکه های فن آوری اروپا

The aim of this paper is to analyse technology-knowledge networks, especially the aspects relating to management control. The management of technology knowledge in a network is characterised by a number of special features that are typical of this form of organization, on the basis of which, we point out the main obstacles and disadvantages that condition the achievement of efficiency of their management. We will analyse management in these networks in light of the experience of various European institutions that actively participate in networks for the development of technological projects. The principal mechanisms used for the control of management will be obtained from the empirical study. Finally, on the basis of the empirical verification, we will consider the development of certain general principles for control in order to achieve greater efficiency in the management of knowledge in these networks.

Over the last few decades, we have witnessed radical transformations that are affecting not only the organization of production companies as a whole but also the way in which economic policies are designed by the different national or supranational institutions. These transformations, linked to the new and continual innovations in the fields of information processing and transmission, are helping companies to break through both their internal barriers and their external boundaries, which, in turn, is facilitating the international presence of a large number of companies. This phenomenon, which has been called “globalization” by numerous authors, entails greater international collaboration among companies and organizations for the joint development of technology projects in certain sectors of activity, especially in those in which the competitive pressures are greater. In general, international collaboration for the development of technology projects materializes through various “common organization” formulas, among which the networks constitute the most novel example, which, moreover, is acquiring greater protagonism. Normally, not only companies are involved in the development of projects in a network, but also other series of socioeconomic institutions, which may belong to either the public or the private sector. The aim of this paper is to analyse the technology-knowledge networks, especially the aspects relating to management control, and, therefore, we will develop certain general principles for control in order to achieve greater efficiency in the management of knowledge in these networks. This aim is pursued in the following sections. (1) The identification of the main difficulties of network management. The management of technology knowledge in a network is characterised by a number of special features that are typical of this form of organization, on the basis of which we point out the main obstacles and disadvantages that condition the achievement of efficiency of their management. (2) The analysis of experiences. In this section, we will analyse management in these networks in light of the experience of various European institutions that actively participate in networks for the development of technological projects. The principal mechanisms used for the control of management will be obtained from the empirical study. (3) Finally, the results and conclusions. On the basis of the empirical verification, we will consider the development of certain principles for the control of management in technology-knowledge networks.

Firstly, an attempt has been made to highlight the problems involved in the management of technological networks, the empirical study demonstrating the importance of the control function in the management of these complex systems.The control function, which is designed and analysed through the empirical investigation, has two main aspects: (a) On the one hand, the control function which we may call ‘‘traditional’’, whose objective is to monitor the fulfillment of the results. (b) On the other, a ‘‘specific’’ technological network control function, whose objective would be to mitigate the conflict of interests in the network. The conflict of interests arises due to the complexity of its management, and particularly due to the structural similarity of the networks. This ‘‘specific’’ control function in the networks also comprises two aspects: the formalization of behaviour and the creation of a climate of commitment and trust among the partners.As regards the formalization of the behaviour 9 of the participating agents, this is carried out not only during the search for partners and in the standardization of tasks and objectives, but also in the supervision mechanisms (through the appearance of the figure of the coordinator) and in the frequent communications among the partners. The creation of other control mechanisms among the economic agents who participate in the network depends on the generation of an appropriate climate of commitment and trust. The instruments used in this case are: the search for partners with whom there have been previous experiences, as well as the search for consensus in the decision-making process and the setting of objectives through negotiation and the information in the decision- making process. In short, by following Kay [23], we may conclude that there are two mechanisms for controlling the conflict of interests in the network: an external mechanism, which depends on the creation of a certain form of organizational structuring, and an internal mechanism based on the development of attitudes and values of commitment and trust (Table 9)