從社會網絡分析觀點探討技術的趨同性－－以保險商業方法專利為例

On the Technological Isomorphism of Insurance Business Method Patents-- The Perspective of Social Network Analysis

技術的發展顯示了一個複雜系統的因果效應，因為理論的探討無法將所有的因素一一納入考量，因此關於影響技術演化的個別因素或一些可控制的變項則分別被探討，也產生了在不同觀點上的分歧看法。由於理論觀點與文獻探討的不同，詮釋技術發展的歷程因此也呈現多元不同的面貌與方向。在研究技術發展的學者眼中，技術的發展是呈現同形現象。Abernathy and Utterback（1978）、Nelson and Winter（1982）與Dosi（1982）的觀念架構清楚說明新技術在眾多可能新概念下的約制與選擇方式，並定義了技術未來發展的可能路徑。由於過去文獻對於技術發展的研究大都以個別技術為分析單位，並視技術發展為個別行動。因此忽略了個別技術與技術環境的連動及關聯技術之間的交叉影響。分析後的結果往往與實際技術發展趨向有所差距。由於社會網絡分析是以技術之間的結構為出發，故探究技術的發展與演進，若以社會網絡的觀點來思考，透過分析技術之間相互依賴的多重關係，可獲致較佳的詮釋效果。本研究以社會網絡分析技巧與衡量指標建構一個實證架構，利用專利技術之間的引用關係所形成的技術網絡，分析其網絡結構，探討技術的發展過程有呈現技術同形的現象，並實證保險商業方法專利在技術上有趨同的發展。研究中所提的研究方法與所推導的技術意涵對於產業界有實質意涵與運用。

Technological developments showed a complex system of cause-result effects. There were various perspectives of technological evolution due to theory’s consideration can not take all variables into account. The interpretations of technological change went different directions because of the differences of perspectives and literatures. The concepts of Abernathy and Utterback（1978）、Nelson and Winter（1982）and Dosi（1982） interpreted the embeddedness and constrains of technologies, as well as clearly demonstrated the ways of technology choices. Most of researches focus their analysis on the individual technology as a unit and the results sometimes away from the reality. On the contrary, social network analysis treated different individual technologies as a whole. We might get better analysis result benefited from using the method of social network analysis. This paper proposed a network-based of citation-analytic methodology and has sought to look at the issue of technological isomorphism and its technological implications. This paper selected patent data of “ insurance business method” as an example to explore possible technological trajectories in insurance. The result of this research also found the technological isomorphism in insurance already occurs. The contribution of this paper is to introduce the social network analysis into patent citations to foresee the technological development. The conclusion of technological implications and applications will provide insights for industries.