Organizational Capabilities for Effective Knowledge Creation: An In-depth Case Analysis of Quinolone Antibacterial Drug Discovery Process

효과적 지식창출을 위한 조직능력 요건: 퀴놀론계 항생제 개발 사례를 중심으로

The purpose of this article is to develop a dynamic model of organizational capabilities and knowledge creation, and at the same time identify the organizational capability factors for effective knowledge creation, by empirically analyzing the history of new Quinolone antibacterial drug compound (LB20304a) discovery process at LG, as a case in point. Major findings of this study are as follows. First, in a science-based area such as drug development, the core of successful knowledge creation lies in creative combination of different bodies of scientific explicit knowledge. Second, the greater the difficulty of learning external knowledge, the more tacit knowledge is needed for the recipient firm to effectively exploit that knowledge. Third, in science-based sector such as pharmaceutical industry, the key for successful knowledge creation lies in the capability of recruiting and retaining star scientists. Finally, for effective knowledge creation, a firm must keep its balance among three dimensions of organizational capabilities: local, process, architectural capabilities.