The patent management process: an exploratory factor analysis

Purpose – Academics and practitioners have been interested in the organizational and managerial aspects of patent management. However, less attention has been devoted to developing a measurement scale of it. Considering this, the current article proposes a holistic measurement framework for firm level patent management and empirically assesses the underlying factor structure. Design/methodology/approach – The procedure in this article followed three steps: the first two steps include specifying the domain of constructs and generation of measurement items through a review of existing literature and interviews with experts. In the third step, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to purify the scale. Findings – The study yields that patent management has four core dimensions, namely generation, portfolio management, exploitation & enforcement, and intelligence, and two supporting dimensions, namely strategy and organization of patent management. A framework with patent management constructs and their measurement items was developed for each dimension. Then, using EFA the measurement items were purified, and the underlying factor structures identified. Practical implications – From a theoretical standpoint, researchers can use the framework to analyze the dynamics of patent management in different industries or they can use the scales to test hypotheses about the relationship between dimensions of patent management and firm performance. In addition, managers can use this framework as a management assessment tool to understand the level of sophistication of their patent management and compare themselves with other firms in the industry to evaluate the technological and competitive position. Moreover, the measurement of the current level of patent management can be used as a basis for managers and entrepreneurs to adopt a proactive attitude towards patent management. Originality/value – This study represents a first step towards a more holistic theoretical conceptualization of the patent management process and the development of sound scales to measure patent management. It responds to a recent call for more qualitative and quantitative studies on patent management, thus laying the basis for developing a recognized landmark within the research area of patent management.