The gender dimension in knowledge and technology transfer – the German case

Abstract

Purpose – Knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) and particularly academic entrepreneurship (Klofsten and Jones-Evans, 2000) are indispensable for economic growth and wealth creation. In many European countries including Germany, substantially fewer women than men participate in KTT. Recently, decision makers from scientific, political, and commercial organisations have increased their attention to the gender dimension (e.g. Moser, 2007; Schiebinger, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate in what ways and to what degree gender is currently integrated in German KTT. Design/methodology/approach – By following an abductive approach (Suddaby, 2006) and building upon existing models (Klofsten and Jones-Evans, 2000; Carlsson et al., 2002; Lundvall, 2010), the authors developed an analytical framework for evaluating the position of the gender dimension in KTT, conducted a comprehensive literature review, and 22 key informant interviews. Findings – The findings indicate that the gender dimension is barely integrated in German KTT, which particularly manifests itself through the fact that there are fewer than 10 per cent women among academic entrepreneurs. Current organisational practices and attitudes of decision makers continue to reinforce traditional gender roles and “typically male” approaches and behaviours (Connell, 2005; Redien-Collot, 2009). Originality/value – The authors were the first to synthesise a variety of sources into one unified framework and to rigorously analyse the gender dimension in German KTT – both quantitatively and qualitatively and on different levels. This framework can help decisions makers, both in- and outside of Germany, re-envision KTT practices, and create new opportunities for its diverse participants.

Scientists’ engagement in knowledge transfer and exchange: individual factors, variety of mechanisms and users

“…There is also some evidence that women tend to collaborate more with other women in universities (Boardman and Corley 2008) and professional networks (Ibarra 2003). This pattern also chimes with the result that male academics are more likely to engage with industry, mirroring the insight obtained from other studies suggesting that male scientists occupy more prominent positions than women and are hence in a better position to mobilise resources and establish wider networks (Gupta et al, 2005;Murray and Graham, 2007;Best et al, 2016). On the other hand, several empirical studies addressing the effect of seniority into researchers' engagement in knowledge transfer activities agree about the positive relationship between academic experience and both informal (Link et al, 2007;Abreu et al, 2013) and formal (Boardman & Ponomariov 2007, Ponomariov, 2008D'Este & Perkmann, 2011) collaborations with non-academic parties.…”

The Value of Transfer of Knowledge in Bridging the Gender Gap in STEM

“…The scarce data on female involvement in TOK show that the current organizational practices and attitudes of decision-makers continue to reinforce traditional gender roles and "typically male" approaches and behaviors [6,7]. Best et al [8] made a first attempt at quantifying the gender dimension in knowledge and technology transfer in Germany, where the capacity for innovation is estimated to be very high compared to the rest of the world. These authors reached the conclusion that the quantitative and qualitative components of the gender dimension are barely integrated among TOK stakeholders and decision makers across all levels.…”

Transferencia del conocimiento: ¿una cuestión de género?

“…Aunque está ampliamente reconocido que la transferencia de conocimiento (TDC) es fundamental e indispensable como herramienta para el desarrollo y evolución económica; así como para la creación de riqueza cultural y tecnológica de una sociedad (Klofsten and Jones-Evans, 2000), las autoras de este trabajo han encontrado muy pocos casos de estudio sobre la valoración de este aspecto de la investigación en otras partes del mundo. Best et al (2016) cuantificaron la dimensión de género en la transferencia de conocimiento tecnológico en Alemania, uno de los países con mayor capacidad innovadora, en comparación con otros países europeos. Estas autoras llegan a la conclusión, analizando los diferentes aspectos de la dimensión de género en TDC, que apenas está integrada en los aspectos de la cultura organizacional, tal como la define Schein (1990;2010), para evitar que las instituciones sigan presionando a las mujeres para que continúen ejerciendo los roles tradicionales enfocados a los cuidados.…”

“…Estas autoras llegan a la conclusión, analizando los diferentes aspectos de la dimensión de género en TDC, que apenas está integrada en los aspectos de la cultura organizacional, tal como la define Schein (1990;2010), para evitar que las instituciones sigan presionando a las mujeres para que continúen ejerciendo los roles tradicionales enfocados a los cuidados. Basadas en estos conceptos, Best et al (2016) describen cómo las leyes y normas, incluidas las de financiación de la investigación, así como los estereotipos culturales, son muy inflexibles y ciertamente masculinizados, con un porcentaje de hombres siempre muy superior al de las mujeres en todos los puestos de decisión de todas las estructuras organizacionales. Esto ya fue descrito por Connell (2005) y por Redien-Collot (2009), cuando observaron que las prácticas organizacionales y las actitudes de los organismos de toma de decisiones seguían basados en comportamientos masculinizados, lo cual influye, inevitablemente, en el mantenimiento de esa postura "tradicional" de roles entre investigadoras e investigadores.…”