External knowledge search for innovation: the role of firms’ innovation strategy and industry context

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the extent to which the influence of external knowledge search on innovation performance is contingent on both a firm’s innovation strategy and the industry context in which it operates. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a contingent approach that center...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of knowledge management 2018-03, Vol.22 (2), p.280-298
Main Authors: Segarra-Ciprés, Mercedes, Bou-Llusar, Juan Carlos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Context
Customer services
Empirical analysis
Explicit knowledge
Hypotheses
Innovations
Knowledge management
Product development
R&D
Research & development
Search methods
Technological change
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Purpose This paper aims to analyze the extent to which the influence of external knowledge search on innovation performance is contingent on both a firm’s innovation strategy and the industry context in which it operates. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a contingent approach that centers analysis on the influence of situational factors, either exogenous or endogenous to the organization, as determinants of the external knowledge search in promoting the firm’s innovation performance. The empirical study is based on a large sample of 18,955 firms operating in 29 industries that belong to 13 European countries. Findings This analysis reveals that a broad knowledge search is more effective for firms that innovate in new goods, while a deeper knowledge search is more effective for firms that innovate in new services. The results of this study also indicate that external knowledge search varies across industries, with search depth being used more in industries in which the knowledge development process is cumulative and appropriable, while the external breadth search is preferred in industries with a high level of technological opportunity. Originality/value The current approach implies recognizing that the knowledge search strategies may not always be effective, and that firms should align the search strategy to both internal and external factors. Analyzing the influence of these factors can help managers to better choose the type of knowledge search (e.g. intensive or extensive search) that best aligns with the firm’s innovation objectives.
ISSN:1367-3270
1758-7484
DOI:10.1108/JKM-03-2017-0090