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Multi-Business Firms, Knowledge Flows and Intra-Network Open Innovations

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  • Manuel Villasalero

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha)

Abstract

The increasing competition in the marketplace has led firms to change their innovation patterns to a more open system according to which they rely on networks to manage knowledge resources and innovate. The so-called open innovation paradigm has been developed by taking single-business firms and external networks as cornerstones of the standard model. However, in the case of multi-business firms, the role of internal networks has been neglected. Business units within multi-business corporations have the potential advantage of relying on both external partners and internal peers in order to support their product innovation process. The corporate network thus enables business units to provide knowledge (source knowledge from) to peers in their quest to bring new products onto the market. This study analyses the impact of four types of open innovation activities on business units’ product innovation performance, which are classified according to the directionality (outside-in and inside-out) and locus (cross-business and across-boundaries) of the innovation flows. The results from a sample of 227 business units show that business units should look outside firm boundaries for inbound innovation and throughout business units for outbound innovation if they are to improve their innovation performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Manuel Villasalero, 2018. "Multi-Business Firms, Knowledge Flows and Intra-Network Open Innovations," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 9(1), pages 162-179, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s13132-015-0330-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-015-0330-z
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    2. Aishwarya Narayan & Sumukh Hungund, 2022. "Enhancing Firm Performance Through Adoption of Innovation: an Empirical Evidence from Indian Biotechnological Firms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(3), pages 2431-2456, September.
    3. Liu, Weiwei & Tao, Yuan & Bi, Kexin, 2022. "Capturing information on global knowledge flows from patent transfers: An empirical study using USPTO patents," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(5).
    4. Scott-Kennel, Joanna & Saittakari, Iiris, 2020. "Sourcing or sharing in MNE networks? National headquarters and foreign subsidiaries as knowledge conduits in SMOPECs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).
    5. Atiyeh Safardoust & Soroush Ghazinoori & Manouchehr Manteghi & Mohammad Naghizadeh & Jahanyar Bamdad Soofi, 2024. "Network Heterogeneity and Firm Performance: the Role of Network Capability," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 8020-8052, June.

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