跨界的知識傳遞與制度建構 -- 以台灣奧美廣告之學習經驗為例

Abstract

本研究以台灣奧美，一個知名跨國廣告公司的廠商運作為討論對象，思考知識活動與地理的關連性，並從知識的傳遞、生產及流動等不同構面探討當中的空間意涵。本研究的核心發問為 (1) 跨界的知識傳遞與轉化的可行性為何，跨國廠商如何藉此展示其所有權優勢，這當中又衍生出哪些控制與協調的機制呢？ (2) 在知識的跨界移植過程中，地理所展現的張力為何，其如何磨合出新的知識型態？ (3) 廠商在不同生產網絡中的位置及其所賦予的權力關係如何形塑行動者在不同空間尺度之社會關係？本文主張符碼化知識與默示知識不應全然切割成全球與地方的對比，反而應視為相互滲透的過程；而知識的全球迴圈」與知識的「在地迴圈」亦非取代，卻在廠商身上共舞與演。據此推演出以下的三個論點：(1) 廠商在構築「全球知識渠道」需營造跨國企業內的認知與組織鄰近性，子公司會在過程中面臨權力關係的移轉。但卻不意味著自主性的必然喪失，廠商仍在制度化的學習歷程中展現反身性；(2) 知識的生產不會在真空狀態下完成，跨國廠商的運作仍然面臨地理差異所造就的拉扯與張力，是以廠商會因跨界知識與地方脈絡彼此交織而形塑出新的、領域化的知識；(3) 廠商由於對在地知識涉入程度的高低而位處生產網絡的不同位階，也對應著行動者間不同的權力關係。從學習的觀點出發，視網絡為廠商的統理機制，便得以查探不同尺度下，社會關係的形構與轉化。

This article examines the geography of economic knowledge through research of Ogilvy & Mother in Taiwan, a famous multinational advertising agency. Besides, it tries to find out the meanings of space form three idiosyncrasies of knowledge, which are knowledge transfer, knowledge production and knowledge flow. Following this purpose, the paper provides three main questions: (1) How could a multinational transfer its core knowledge crossing the border and exhibit its advantage of ownership? Is there any mechanism of control and coordination deriving from that activity? (2) Is there any geographical tension exiting within the process of knowledge transfer? And how did a firm develop the new knowledge form while combining the old ones? (3) Finally, how did the firm at different positions in its network shape the social relations of various actors on different spatial scales? The paper argues that the recent interests in knowledge has misled in understanding the codified / tacit dimension of knowledge fixed into a global / local dichotomy, however, it is a mutually penetrating process. Furthermore, the ‘global circuit’ of knowledge and the ‘local circuit’ of knowledge are not replacing each other, but showing the dance of co-evolution. According to this, I’ll develop three dimensions of discussions as follows: (1) A firm needs to build up its cognitive and organizational proximities with its parent company. The subsidiary must face the translation of power relations, but not have to lose all its authorities; the firm’s reflexivity is still shown up in the institutionalized process. (2) The operation of multinational would product the new, territorialized knowledge throughout local contexts and geographical variations. (3) The firm would situate different positions which were related to the extent it involved in local knowledge, and varied power relationships within actors. At this viewpoint of learning and taking the networks as the governance mechanism of firms, I will explore the constructions and transformations of social relationships in different spatial scales.