The present article evaluates and measures the technological competence accumulation in an automation area enterprise to distribution centers, Knapp Sudamérica Logistic and Automation Ltd, in the interval of the technology transference process previous period (1998-2001) and during the technology transference process (2002-2005). Therefore, based on an individual case study, the study identified the technology transference strategy and mechanism accorded between the head office and the branch office, the technological functions and activities developed by the receiver and, at last, the critical factors present in this process. The technological competences accumulation exam was accomplished based on an analytical structure existent in the literature that was adapted to the researched segment analysis. The obtained results showed that the planed, organized, controlled and continuous effort to generating and disseminating knowledge allowed the enterprise to speed up the accumulation process of technological competences promoting the converting of this process from individual level to the organizational one: besides, it also allowed the identification of barriers and facilitators involved in this process.

As atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento compreendem processos com níveis crescentes de complexidade. Nesse contexto, empresas que identificam o capital tecnológico como fonte de diferencial competitivo demandam recursos e competências, que nem sempre se encontram disponíveis em seu ambiente interno, assim elas utilizam-se de relações de cooperação que compreendem níveis de interação de objetivos, estruturas, processos e indivíduos com características particulares. A presente pesquisa, a partir dos estudos de relacionamentos interorganizacionais, tem como propósito a identificação de mecanismos de controle em alianças estratégicas voltadas para atividades de desenvolvimento tecnológico entre empresas. O trabalho apresenta uma revisão teórica referente a relacionamentos interorganizacionais do tipo alianças estratégicas e conceitos referentes ao desenvolvimento tecnológico conjunto. A metodologia utilizada foi a do estudo de casos múltiplos, com a análise de três alianças entre empresas do setor metal-mecânico com atividades de desenvolvimento tecnológico comprovadas. Assim adotou-se um modelo de pesquisa empírica que considera a perspectiva dinâmica e processual do relacionamento interorganizacional compreendida por meio de fases do relacionamento. Os resultados obtidos foram a identificação de mecanismos de controle adotados ao longo das fases de interação de cooperação tecnológica das empresas por meio de alianças estratégicas, assim como a abrangência, foco e fatores influenciadores na adoção desses mecanismos.

The activities of research and development are caracterized by ascendent levels of complexity. Companies that consider technological resources as their source of competitive advantage demand proportional levels of competences that cannot be always developed on their internal structure. Considering a situation which brings together objectives, structures, processes and individuals, these relations of cooperation bring relevant challenges of administration to executives and to organizational and strategical studies. This research has the purpose of identifying mechanisms of control in strategical alliances oriented to technological development activities. A theorical reference about strategical alliances, bringing the focus to instruments of coordination of formal and informal control in cooperated activities. The methodology has adopted the strategy of multiple case study, by which three alliances of the metal-mechanic sector have been analyzed. The study adopts a model that considers the processual dimension of interorganizational relations in order to identify the mechanisms of control in each stage of the relationship. The study intends to identify elements that influence the determination of these mechanisms of control so that may be possible to contribute with future studies about the coordination of strategical alliances.

The central aim of this article is to demonstrate the development and characteristics of an inter-institutional relationship with a view to perfecting existing technology in reducing the consumption of energy in household refrigerators and also to show the adequacy of the case studied for the most recent preconceived ideas concerning the development of Etzkowitz's Triple Helix. The study refers to the technological cooperation between universities and industries and the presentation of a successful experience in which the joint action of individual institutions led to technological gains for both parties. The data was collected from individual in depth interviews with the research coordinators at the both company and the university. The results obtained showed not only the efficiency of the joint research but also the success of the cooperation and the identification of the practice of new positions raised in recent studies. Thus, by studying the experience of these institutions in technological cooperation, we can see that the productivity and efficiency of the cooperation between the university and the company open up possibilities for contributing to the technological development of the country.

O objetivo central deste artigo é apresentar o desenvolvimento e as características de um relacionamento interinstitucional, visando ao aperfeiçoamento da tecnologia existente em redução de consumo de energia em sistemas domésticos de refrigeração e também a adequação do caso estudado aos pressupostos mais recentes do desenvolvimento do modelo da Tripla Hélice de Etzkowitz. O estudo refere-se a cooperações tecnológicas entre universidades e empresas e à apresentação de uma experiência de sucesso, em que a atuação conjunta de instituições distintas conduziu a ganhos tecnológicos para ambas as partes. Os dados foram levantados por meio de entrevistas individuais em profundidade com os coordenadores da pesquisa na universidade e na empresa. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram não apenas a eficiência do trabalho conjunto, mas também o sucesso da atuação cooperativa e a identificação, na prática, de novos posicionamentos levantados em estudos recentes. Desse modo, pode-se perceber por meio do estudo da experiência dessas instituições em uma cooperação tecnológica, a produtividade e eficiência do trabalho cooperativo universidadeempresa e suas possibilidades de contribuição ao desenvolvimento tecnológico do País.

The central aim of this article is to demonstrate the development and characteristics of an interinstitutional relationship with a view to perfecting existing technology in reducing the consumption of energy in household refrigerators and also to show the adequacy of the case studied for the most recent preconceived ideas concerning the development of Etzkowitz's Triple Helix. The study refers to the technological cooperation between universities and industries and the presentation of a successful experience in which the joint action of individual institutions led to technological gains for both parties. The data was collected from individual in depth interviews with the research coordinators at the both company and the university. The results obtained showed not only the efficiency of the joint research but also the success of the cooperation and the identification of the practice of new positions raised in recent studies. Thus, by studying the experience of these institutions in technological cooperation, we can see that the productivity and efficiency of the cooperation between the university and the company open up possibilities for contributing to the technological development of the country.