技術為組織資源的一種，具有獨特性、專屬性與模糊性，其他企業無法輕易模仿且為組織長期競爭優勢來源，技術的發展是具有相互依賴關係的科學成果逐步累進，因此可說技術之相依乃因其有某些共通性，學者表示技術的發展如同社會結構，因此以社會網絡的觀點角度分析技術之間依賴性，可進一步了解其相互影響關係，理解技術發展情境並有效的辨認影響創新、開發的重點技術以及預測新科技的方向。本研究以發光二極體(light-emitting diode, LED)產業為例，利用美國專利資料庫(USPTO)蒐集前20大廠商專利資料加以統整，將個別企業視為行動者，企業間專利引證代表關係之連結而形成技術網絡。利用社會網絡分析法三種中心性衡量指標(程度、中介、接近中心性)探討個體於網絡位置之差異與其專利數及營運收入之相關性。此外另分析網絡中小團體之情形探討團體密度與團體程度中心性與專利數及營運收入之相關性。研究結果顯示，接近中心性對專利數有顯著正向影響；程度中心性對營運收入有顯著正向影響。群體密度與群體程度中心性對專利數及營運收入皆有正向顯著影響。Technology is one of organizational resources and has the characteristics such as unique, specific and fuzzy so that other firms cannot easily imitate. Technology can be organization’s long-term competitive advantage. The development of technology is the interdependence of scientific achievements and it can said that the dependent of technology is because of some commonality. Scholars claimed that the development of technology can be regareded as a social structure. From the viewpoint of social network analysis can further understand the relationship between technologies, and the situation of technological development, identify innovation factors, develop key technologies and predict the direction of the new technology.In this study, we use the case of light-emitting diode (light-emitting diode, LED) industries. By collecting the top 20 companies’ patents from American patent databases (USPTO) , regarding firms as actors, the citation of inter-firms as linkages and form the relationship called technology network. This study use the measurement of social network analysis. Centrality includes degree centrality, betweenness centrality and closeness centrality to explore the relationship of individuals in the network position with its number of patent and operating income. In addition, we analysis the circumstances of small group in the network to explore the relationship of group density and the group degree centrality with its average number of patents and average operating income. The results show that the closeness centrality has significant positive impact on number of patent; The degree centrality has significant positive impact on operating income. Group density and group degree centrality has positive and significant impact on its number of patents and operating income.
