International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

The paper’s key objective is to explore the social tie enabling the knowledge flow in the academia-industry collaboration. The inquiry is based on an ethnographic work in ATMI Polytechnic Cikarang. It pursues its analysis through case studies. The main argument in this paper is that alumnaeship is the social tie fostering the academia-industry linkage. This social tie invites one to reconceptualise the notion of physical proximity. Such reconceptualisation is tenable, as this research shows: first, the pertinence of geographic reference point being made to ATMI Polytechnic Solo for collaborations to take place, and second, the thick linkage of alumnaeship enabling the flow of tacit knowledge. The study contributes to the inquiry of academia-industry collaboration from an organisational sociology standpoint.