IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mar/magkse/201461.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Search Balance and Product and Process Innovations

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Backfisch

    (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg)

Abstract

Firms’ search for external knowledge is one aspect of knowledge integration in the innovation process. The literature has investigated innovation and the breadth of search in different information channels. We introduce the concept of search balance reflecting the heterogeneity of a firm’s knowledge base. Results from German Community Innovation Survey data shows that search balance is positively connected to the introduction of product as well as process innovations. The connection is stronger for process innovations. The relative balance between all information sources used by firms is important for process innovations, but less so for product innovations. Product innovations rely on specific search directions where internal or market-based knowledge is found, offering an alternative to balanced search. Such an alternative does not exist for process innovations such that knowledge from specific information channels has to be accompanied by balanced search in other channels to be successfully used for process innovations.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Backfisch, 2014. "Search Balance and Product and Process Innovations," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201461, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    • Handle: RePEc:mar:magkse:201461
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb02/makro/forschung/magkspapers/61-2014_backfisch.pdf
    File Function: First 201461
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sofka, Wolfgang & Grimpe, Christoph, 2009. "Specialized search and innovation performance: evidence across Europe," ZEW Discussion Papers 09-016, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    3. Dahlander, Linus & Gann, David M., 2010. "How open is innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 699-709, July.
    4. Zoltan J. Acs & David B. Audretsch, 2008. "Innovation in Large and Small Firms: An Empirical Analysis," Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy, chapter 1, pages 3-15, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Bruno Amable & Lilas Demmou & Ivan Ledezma, 2010. "Product market regulation, innovation, and distance to frontier," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 19(1), pages 117-159, February.
    6. Aschhoff, Birgit & Blind, Knut & Ebersberger, Bernd & Fraaß, Benjamin & Rammer, Christian & Schmidt, Tobias, 2007. "Schwerpunktbericht zur Innovationserhebung 2005: Bericht an das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)," ZEW Dokumentationen 07-03, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Daron Acemoglu & Philippe Aghion & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2006. "Distance to Frontier, Selection, and Economic Growth," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 4(1), pages 37-74, March.
    8. Andy Stirling, 2007. "A General Framework for Analysing Diversity in Science, Technology and Society," SPRU Working Paper Series 156, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    9. Ki H. Kang & Jina Kang, 2009. "How Do Firms Source External Knowledge For Innovation? Analysing Effects Of Different Knowledge Sourcing Methods," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(01), pages 1-17.
    10. Roper, Stephen & Du, Jun & Love, James H., 2008. "Modelling the innovation value chain," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 961-977, July.
    11. Daniel A. Levinthal & James G. March, 1993. "The myopia of learning," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S2), pages 95-112, December.
    12. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3716 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Fleming, Lee & Sorenson, Olav, 2001. "Technology as a complex adaptive system: evidence from patent data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1019-1039, August.
    14. Belderbos, Rene & Carree, Martin & Lokshin, Boris, 2004. "Cooperative R&D and firm performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1477-1492, December.
    15. Köhler, Christian & Sofka, Wolfgang & Grimpe, Christoph, 2012. "Selective search, sectoral patterns, and the impact on product innovation performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(8), pages 1344-1356.
    16. Bruno Cassiman & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2002. "R&D Cooperation and Spillovers: Some Empirical Evidence from Belgium," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1169-1184, September.
    17. Gerald Silverberg & Giovanni Dosi & Luigi Orsenigo, 2000. "Innovation, Diversity and Diffusion: A Self-Organisation Model," Chapters, in: Innovation, Organization and Economic Dynamics, chapter 14, pages 410-432, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Cosh, A. & Zhang, J., 2012. "Variety of Search and Innovation: A Comparative Study of US Manufacturing and Knowledge Intensive Business Services Sectors," Working Papers wp431, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    19. Monjon, Stephanie & Waelbroeck, Patrick, 2003. "Assessing spillovers from universities to firms: evidence from French firm-level data," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(9), pages 1255-1270, November.
    20. Lee Fleming & Olav Sorenson, 2004. "Science as a map in technological search," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8‐9), pages 909-928, August.
    21. Jan Fagerberg & David C. Mowery & Paul Nightingale, 2012. "Introduction: The heterogeneity of innovation--evidence from the Community Innovation Surveys," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 21(5), pages 1175-1180, October.
    22. Petri Rouvinen, 2002. "Characteristics of product and process innovators: some evidence from the Finnish innovation survey," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(9), pages 575-580.
    23. Mariko Sakakibara, 1997. "Heterogeneity Of Firm Capabilities And Cooperative Research And Development: An Empirical Examination Of Motives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(S1), pages 143-164, July.
    24. Aija Leiponen & Constance E. Helfat, 2010. "Innovation objectives, knowledge sources, and the benefits of breadth," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 224-236, February.
    25. Rammer, Christian & Pesau, Agnes, 2011. "Innovationsverhalten der Unternehmen in Deutschland 2009: Aktuelle Entwicklungen, Bundesländerunterschiede, internationaler Vergleich," Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem 7-2011, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI) - Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, Berlin.
    26. Aija Leiponen, 2012. "The benefits of R&D and breadth in innovation strategies: a comparison of Finnish service and manufacturing firms," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 21(5), pages 1255-1281, October.
    27. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13785 is not listed on IDEAS
    28. Hwang, Junseok & Lee, Youngjin, 2010. "External knowledge search, innovative performance and productivity in the Korean ICT sector," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 562-571, November.
    29. Mita Bhattacharya & Harry Bloch, 2004. "Determinants of Innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 155-162, March.
    30. Kaisa Henttonen & Paavo Ritala & Tiina Jauhiainen, 2011. "Exploring Open Search Strategies And Their Perceived Impact On Innovation Performance—Empirical Evidence," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03), pages 525-541.
    31. Belderbos, Rene & Carree, Martin & Lokshin, Boris, 2004. "Cooperative R&D and firm performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1477-1492, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Angelidou, Sofia & Mount, Matthew & Pandza, Krsto, 2022. "Exploring the asymmetric complementarity between external knowledge search and management innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Peeters, T.J.G., 2013. "External knowledge search and use in new product development," Other publications TiSEM 300ebb34-b090-4210-b95e-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Heuschneider, Sara & Herstatt, Cornelius, 2016. "External search for exploration of future discontinuities and trends: Implications from the literature using co-citation and content analysis," Working Papers 92, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute for Technology and Innovation Management.
    4. Hewitt-Dundas, Nola & Gkypali, Areti & Roper, Stephen, 2019. "Does learning from prior collaboration help firms to overcome the ‘two-worlds’ paradox in university-business collaboration?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 1310-1322.
    5. Mario Kafouros & Niron Hashai & Janja Annabel Tardios & Elizabeth Yi Wang, 2022. "How do MNEs invent? An invention-based perspective of MNE profitability," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1420-1448, September.
    6. Haji Ali Beigi, Maryam, 2021. "Is more diverse always the better? External knowledge source clusters and innovation performance in Germany," Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers 156, Ilmenau University of Technology, Institute of Economics.
    7. James Foreman-Peck, 2013. "Effectiveness and efficiency of SME innovation policy," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 55-70, June.
    8. Luyun Xu & Jian Li & Xin Zhou, 2019. "Exploring new knowledge through research collaboration: the moderation of the global and local cohesion of knowledge networks," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 822-849, June.
    9. Stephen Roper & Nola Hewitt-Dundas, 2017. "Investigating a neglected part of Schumpeter’s creative army: what drives new-to-the-market innovation in micro-enterprises?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 559-577, October.
    10. Caloghirou, Yannis & Giotopoulos, Ioannis & Kontolaimou, Alexandra & Korra, Efthymia & Tsakanikas, Aggelos, 2021. "Industry-university knowledge flows and product innovation: How do knowledge stocks and crisis matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(3).
    11. Cassiman, Bruno & Di Guardo, Maria Chiara & Valentini, Giovanni, 2010. "Organizing links with science: Cooperate or contract?: A project-level analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 882-892, September.
    12. Daniela Bragoli & Flavia Cortelezzi & Massimiliano Rigon, 2023. "Firms' innovation and university cooperation. New evidence from a survey of Italian firms," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1400, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    13. Kafouros, Marios & Love, James H & Ganotakis, Panagiotis & Konara, Palitha, 2020. "Experience in R&D collaborations, innovative performance and the moderating effect of different dimensions of absorptive capacity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Adrián Kovács & Bart Looy & Bruno Cassiman, 2015. "Exploring the scope of open innovation: a bibliometric review of a decade of research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 104(3), pages 951-983, September.
    15. Cantner, Uwe & Joel, Kristin & Schmidt, Tobias, 2011. "The effects of knowledge management on innovative success – An empirical analysis of German firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 1453-1462.
    16. Cammarano, Antonello & Michelino, Francesca & Lamberti, Emilia & Caputo, Mauro, 2017. "Accumulated stock of knowledge and current search practices: The impact on patent quality," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 204-222.
    17. Scandura, Alessandra, 2016. "University–industry collaboration and firms’ R&D effort," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1907-1922.
    18. Chrystalla Kapetaniou & Soo Hee Lee, 2019. "Geographical proximity and open innovation of SMEs in Cyprus," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 261-276, January.
    19. Laursen, Keld & Salter, Ammon J., 2014. "The paradox of openness: Appropriability, external search and collaboration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 867-878.
    20. Duong, Phuong-Anh Nguyen & Voordeckers, Wim & Huybrechts, Jolien & Lambrechts, Frank, 2022. "On external knowledge sources and innovation performance: Family versus non-family firms," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Openness; knowledge sources; innovative search; search balance; innovation; innovation performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mar:magkse:201461. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bernd Hayo (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vamarde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.