Organizational Collaboration for an Industry-Academe Symbiotic Framework

Narro R. Navarro, Ph.D.
Quality Manager, Universal Testing Laboratory and Inspection Inc.

KEYWORDS

Collaboration, Resource Dependency, Systems Theory

ABSTRACT

This study explored the factors and constraints that promote and hinder
collaboration. Taking a perspective on knowledge interaction, this project
explored how formal collaborative relationships between industry and
academic based environments emerge and develop, focusing on the factors,
constraints, measures and common areas and scenarios of industry and
academe. The study is anchored on the theory of Resource Dependency and
Systems Theory.

The study covered two manufacturing sectors and two higher educational
institutions offering engineering from the province of Laguna and Batangas.
Most of the respondents were senior managers and professors. As per the
Industry, the major factors that contribute to the development of collaboration
includes accessibility to competencies, to highly qualified workers
(recruitment), to innovative technologies and knowledge sharing as they
received very relevant responses. On the part of the academe, the factors
include matching, institutional capability building, income generation project
and student immersion opportunities.

The predominant constraint is the lack of proper mechanisms to facilitate
effective collaborations. Other significant obstacles include an apparent lack of
the entrepreneurial spirit among academics, the low commercialization potential
of academic research, incompatibility of academic structures with the needs of
collaboration, and a lack of awareness of facilities and expertise available in
the academe.

The key conclusion of the study is that both industry and academe are
aware of the importance of industry collaboration and are increasingly willing
to finance such collaboration. However, there are no academic departments
receiving funds from external sources and they mainly rely on the budget
from the institution. The industry‘s perception of the funds to be allocated for
industry-academe collaboration is higher compared to that of the academe.
The survey findings also show an enhanced emphasis on deeper and
more demanding types of collaboration, such as joint R&D activities,
prototype testing, and spin-offs, even though these remain relatively
uncommon. This has happened in spite of the perception among academics
that access to high-quality laboratories and other R&D facilities at their
academic institution is very low.

It is strongly recommended to both sectors that build more awareness, to
have commitment and vision, strengthen communication and to have a
mutual trust on the capability of one another.

Enderun Colleges Scholarly Review, Volume 3, Issue 2.

Category: Business , Entrepreneurship , Information Technology , Sustainability

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