Knowledge Worker Mobility in Context: Pushing the Boundaries of Theory and Methods

Abstract

Scholars are paying more attention to knowledge workers (KW) as they gain importance in the knowledge-based economy. Knowledge worker mobility (KWM) can involve various forms of employee and entrepreneurial movements: the transfer of employees from one organization to another either through locational movement or through a change in ownership, the transfer of employees within the same organization but in different units and/ or geographies, and the spinning off by employees into new ventures. KWM spans a variety of different contexts which have rarely been explored in prior research. We focus on advancing our understanding of KWM in context, pushing the boundaries of theory and methods by developing a framework focusing on five main contextual dimensions: organizational context and roles, geographical and spatial context, social context and teams, institutional and cultural norms, and temporal dynamics. We summarize the papers presented in the special issue and also identify an agenda for further research.

Advancing Theory with Review Articles

“…Their review extends the boundaries of theory and method within the area of concern through developing a new framework, which explores five dimensions: organizational context and roles; geographical and spatial context; social context and teams, institutional and cultural norms, and temporal dynamics. Stating the view that linking questions to context is ‘crucial for theory building’ (, p. 2), Wright et al observe how new insights on the context of knowledge worker mobility has the potential to influence both boundary conditions and theory. For example, previous literatures on knowledge worker mobility assumed that decisions to move location would usually be voluntary on the part of the individual.…”

Sector-Based Entrepreneurial Capabilities and the Promise of Sector Studies in Entrepreneurship

“…Future research also needs to study how sector-based entrepreneurial capabilities relate to the type of resources. In relation to human resources (Table 2), much attention on worker mobility is focused on geographical movements, but movement within and between sectors may be important in enabling new entrepreneurial firms to access the human and social capital they need to shape, develop, and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities (Wright, Tartari, Huang, DiLorenzo, & Bercovitz, 2018). Work by Radaelli et al (2018) raises the need for further research that explores both which aspects of human capital are transferable between which sectors and the vexed question as to how entrepreneurial firms in particular sectors can actually identify and attract the human capital they need.…”

Moving Ideas from Lab to Marketplace: A Guide to Research

“…Scientists may need to work with other universities to get an idea commercialized, and transitions can be unsettling if the old and new organizations share differing goals. [38]. A further issue concerns the potential resistance by incumbents to new, socially beneficial innovations emanating from the lab.…”