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Winning combinations: search strategies and innovativeness in the UK

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  • Paola Criscuolo
  • Keld Laursen
  • Toke Reichstein
  • Ammon Salter

Abstract

Searching for the most rewarding sources of innovative ideas remains a key challenge in management of technological innovation. Yet, little is known about which combinations of internal and external knowledge sources are triggers for innovation. Extending theories about searching for innovation, we examine the effectiveness of different combinations of knowledge sources for achieving innovative performance. We suggest that combinations involving integrative search strategies – combining internal and external knowledge – are the most likely to generate product and process innovation. In this context, we present the idea that cognitively distant knowledge sources are helpful for innovation only when used in conjunction with knowledge sources that are closer to the focal firm. We also find important differences between product and process innovation, with the former associated with broader searches than the latter. Using a large-scale pooled sample of UK firms, we find overall support for our conjectures, particularly in terms of product innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Paola Criscuolo & Keld Laursen & Toke Reichstein & Ammon Salter, 2018. "Winning combinations: search strategies and innovativeness in the UK," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 115-143, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:indinn:v:25:y:2018:i:2:p:115-143
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2017.1286462
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    Cited by:

    1. Martínez-Alonso, Rubén & Martínez-Romero, María J. & Rojo-Ramírez, Alfonso A. & Lazzarotti, Valentina & Sciascia, Salvatore, 2023. "Process innovation in family firms: Family involvement in management, R&D collaboration with suppliers, and technology protection," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Bei, Xiaoshu, 2019. "Trademarks, specialized complementary assets, and the external sourcing of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    3. Radicic, Dragana & Petković, Saša, 2023. "Impact of digitalization on technological innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    4. Ethan Gifford & Daniel Ljungberg & Maureen McKelvey, 2022. "Innovating in knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms: exploring the effects of a variety of internal and external knowledge sources on goods and service innovations [Advancing knowledge-intensiv," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 31(5), pages 1259-1284.
    5. Paola Azar, 2020. "Politics as a determinant of primary school provision The case of Uruguay, 1914-1954," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 20-07, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    6. Gnekpe, Christian & Coeurderoy, Regis & Mulotte, Louis, 2023. "How a firm's knowledge base influences its external technology sourcing strategy : The case of biopharmaceutical firms," Other publications TiSEM 8f11908f-00fd-4ab3-b93f-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Orly Carvache-Franco & Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Wilmer Carvache-Franco & Miguel A. Bustamante-Ubilla, 2022. "The Relationship between Human-Capital Variables and Innovative Performance: Evidence from Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, March.
    8. Homfeldt, Felix & Rese, Alexandra & Simon, Franz, 2019. "Suppliers versus start-ups: Where do better innovation ideas come from?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(7), pages 1738-1757.
    9. Hongshu Chen & Xinna Song & Qianqian Jin & Ximeng Wang, 2022. "Network dynamics in university-industry collaboration: a collaboration-knowledge dual-layer network perspective," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(11), pages 6637-6660, November.
    10. Mendi, Pedro & Moner-Colonques, Rafael & Sempere-Monerris, José J., 2020. "Cooperation for innovation and technology licensing: Empirical evidence from Spain," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    11. Cabaleiro-Cerviño, Goretti & Burcharth, Ana, 2020. "Licensing agreements as signals of innovation: When do they impact market value?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    12. Østergaard, Christian Richter & Drejer, Ina, 2022. "Keeping together: Which factors characterise persistent university–industry collaboration on innovation?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    13. Fornaro, Paolo & Maliranta, Mika & Rouvinen, Petri, 2019. "Immigrant Innovators and Firm Performance," ETLA Working Papers 63, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    14. Achim Walter & Nicole Coviello & Monika Sienknecht & Thomas Ritter, 2024. "Leveraging the Lab: How Pre-Founding R&D Collaboration Influences the Internationalization Timing of Academic Spin-Offs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(1), pages 71-103, January.
    15. Nasirov, Shukhrat & Joshi, Amol M., 2023. "Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    16. Haji Ali Beigi, Maryam, 2021. "Organizational innovation: Interactive role of external knowledge strategies and market dynamisms," Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers 159, Ilmenau University of Technology, Institute of Economics.
    17. Alejandro Bello-Pintado & Felipe Berrutti & Carlos Bianchi & Pablo Blanchard, 2019. "Knowledge searching strategies, testing for complementarities on the innovation behavior of the firm," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 19-18, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    18. Carlos Bianchi & Hugo Laguna, 2020. "Firm’s innovation strategies and employment: new evidence from Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 20-06, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    19. Basit Shoaib Abdul, 2021. "The Effect of External Knowledge Sources on Organizational Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises in Germany," Business Systems Research, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 60-79, May.
    20. Delgado-Verde, Miriam & Martín-de Castro, Gregorio & Cruz-González, Jorge & Navas-López, José Emilio, 2021. "Complements or substitutes? The contingent role of corporate reputation on the interplay between internal R&D and external knowledge sourcing," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 70-83.
    21. Danilo Magno Marchiori & Silvio Popadiuk & Emerson Wagner Mainardes & Ricardo Gouveia Rodrigues, 2021. "Innovativeness: a bibliometric vision of the conceptual and intellectual structures and the past and future research directions," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(1), pages 55-92, January.
    22. Dahlke, Johannes & Beck, Mathias & Kinne, Jan & Lenz, David & Dehghan, Robert & Wörter, Martin & Ebersberger, Bernd, 2024. "Epidemic effects in the diffusion of emerging digital technologies: evidence from artificial intelligence adoption," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(2).

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