A Human-Centered Framework for Examining Macro Level Organizational Phenomena: Development and Application to University Technology Transfer

The theoretical and conceptual frameworks commonly used to study university-to-industry technology transfer (i.e., university technology transfer) are potentially distorting our understanding of the phenomenon and impeding knowledge creation about it. Reification is a particularly chronic pathology in university technology transfer research. Additionally, studies are predominantly from the perspective of universities. Examination of university technology transfer from the perspective of private sector firms (i.e., the demand side perspective), particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, seems to be lacking. Moreover, the quantitative correlational methodologies which are predominantly used to research university technology transfer cannot adequately capture the casual complexity to which the phenomenon is likely subject. This myopia in university technology transfer research is likely driven in part by the theories and conceptual frameworks that scholars have chosen to apply in their studies. This paper presents a human-centered framework for examining macro level organization phenomena that mitigates the problem of reification in technology transfer studies and enables better examinations of the phenomena from the perspective of demand side actors and well as supply side participants. Its usefulness is demonstrated using a mini case study that applies the framework to critique a previously published paper.