When does scientist recruitment affect technological repositioning?

An investigation of the conditions in which the recruitment of technologically distant scientists results in a significant technological repositioning reveals, on the basis of 2,643 biotechnology industry hiring events between 1973 and 1999, that recruitment is positively associated with repositioning. However, the more a firm's innovative productivity depends on one or a few "star" scientists, the less likely it is that recruitment affects repositioning. This likelihood increases at moderate levels of technological breadth and declines at very high or low levels. These results offer insights into the challenges of developing combinative capabilities by hiring scientific personnel.