Temporary colocation and collaborative discovery: Who confers at conferences

Abstract

Research Summary The flow of knowledge is closely linked to proximity. While extensive works show that long‐term geographic proximity affects work behavior, little is known about the effect of short‐term colocation, such as conferences. Using participant data at Gordon Research Conferences, we estimate difference‐in‐differences and instrumental variable models, which show that attendees who have no prior within‐conference collaborations are more likely to collaborate with other attendees, and that the researchers who have worked previously with other attendees are more likely to continue their collaborations. We also find that researchers who are junior, are located closer to the conference venue, and have established prior ties to the conference draw more collaborative benefits from temporary colocation across organizations. Thus, going to a conference alters the creation of collaborations. Managerial Summary Managers face important decisions with long‐term strategic ramifications regarding where to locate offices, plants, and R&D centers, as well as how to lay out workspaces inside the firm to enhance knowledge spillover and collaboration. Permanent proximity, however, may be difficult and sometimes impossible to attain. One potential way of overcoming the distance disadvantage in knowledge spillover and tie formation is through temporary colocation events that bring together individuals from distant locations in an environment of temporary proximity. We find that individuals who attend temporary colocation events across organizational boundaries are more likely to collaborate with one another subsequently. Hence, managers of firms should pledge substantial funds for employees to participate in these events so as to impact the subsequent direction of R&D activities.

Virtual academic conferences as learning spaces: Factors associated with the perceived value of purely virtual conferences

“…It is "a traditional platform for researchers and professionals to network and learn about recent developments and trends in a particular academic field" (Budd et al, 2015, p. 1). More precisely, participating in an academic conference is associated with the opportunity to meet other researchers and practitioners of the field to maintain networks among experts for the creation of new research ideas and professional collaborations (Chai & Freeman, 2019;Hall, 2015;Levine, 2015;Oester et al, 2017;Siemens et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2017) and the development of job and career perspectives (Edelheim et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2020;Oester et al, 2017). Moreover, the participation is associated with an increase of academic competencies and reputation, such as the presentation and publication of research findings, and receiving feedback on research work (Hansen & Budtz Pedersen, 2018).…”

When international academic conferences go virtual

“…Unexpected extraordinary events such as financial crises, ash clouds or more recently, the global spread of the Covid-19 virus dramatically change the opportunities for academics from around the world to gather and meet in-person at conferences. Conferences are not only important for networking in general (Oester et al 2017 ; Hansen and Budtz Pedersen 2018 ), but also for keeping current with trends in the field (Harrison 2010 ), developing potential research collaborations (Wang et al 2017 ; Chai and Freeman 2019 ), disseminating research (Black et al 2020 ), identifying job opportunities, career development (Oester et al 2017 ; Black et al 2020 ; Kim et al 2020 ), renewing friendships (Achakulvisut et al 2020 ), knowledge transfer (Goel and Grimpe 2013 ; Goel et al 2014 ) and bringing together practitioners and academics (Dorsch et al 2014 ). According to Hansen and Budtz Pedersen ( 2018 ), the preparation and the presentation of a paper and the subsequent feedback from the audience increase the quality of the research and thus the chances of publication in a high-ranking journal.…”

Engineering Serendipity: The Role of Cognitive Similarity in Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Production

“…Given the growth in interdisciplinary science (Wuchty, Jones, and Uzzi, 2007), these types of events can improve the mix of new, weak, and strong ties in a scientist's portfolio of potential collaborators, and are more likely to be effective when there are small prizes or awards associated with them. Lastly, our findings suggest that short-lived interventions can present an attractive and cost-effective way to facilitate temporary co-location (Chai and Freeman, 2019) and serendipitous knowledge sharing to have lasting effects on knowledge production.…”

“…Moreover, individuals from the same field specialty share similar memberships of professional groups (Haas and Park, 2010), which provides two potential benefits for solidifying relationships. First, professional groups provide members with greater opportunities for subsequent encounters in shared foci, such as conferences, workshops, and continuing education courses (Catalini, 2017;Chai and Freeman, 2019). Second, members typically have similar incentives and requirements for promotion and tenure (Stephan, 1996).…”