This study investigates how multiple dimensions of power each facilitate knowledge integration within innovation projects in supply chains and their interrelationships. Adopting a process perspective of knowledge, we offer an alternative to much of the existing debate, which has focussed on the possession of resources. We collected data from four case‐study Original Equipment Manufacturers and six associated suppliers and analysed these using Template Analysis and cross‐case analysis. Our findings reveal how the power of the system, operationalized through relative performance measures, performance measurement mechanisms and the individuals in‐charge of them, provides a facilitative context within which other dimensions of power operate. Here, the power of resources (expert and legitimate power), processes (associated with raising issues, cross‐functional teams, early supplier involvement and reviews) and meaning (creating legitimacy through reviews) interact to support knowledge integration within innovation projects in supply chains. This, we argue, emphasises the plurality of power dimensions deployed and importance of their interrelationships in facilitating knowledge integration within hierarchical supply chain networks.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model, which incorporates the influence of different dimensions of power on various sub‐components of continuous innovation in inter‐firm networks using the product development process (PDP) as the unit of analysis.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical framework is developed initially. The theoretical framework is supported by two illustrative examples from the aerospace industry. Semi‐structured interviews, observation and template analysis are proposed as suitable data collection and analysis methods.FindingsThe paper offers a view on how the PDP is facilitated and/or constrained due to this interweavement. The paper offers five tentative initial templates surrounding the themes discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual framework is still in its nascent stage and requires substantial empirical work. As the relationships between power and knowledge in inter‐firm networks are currently under‐researched it might be worthwhile considering a qualitative approach to widen our understanding of the interrelationships of the concepts before embarking on a quantitative research endeavour.Originality/valueThis paper provides a conceptual model of how four dimensions of power influence the integration of sub‐components of continuous innovation throughout the high‐phased stage‐gate process in an inter‐firm network.
Hybrid' open source software communities are conducive to knowledge integration and innovation, and can be seen through a community of practice lens. In this paper, we develop an integrated process theory of structural attributes and social mechanisms of hybrid virtual communities. We offer a dynamic view of knowledge integration and innovation in such communities. We also emphasise the multi-faceted nature of virtual communities and identify factors that regulate participation and sustain such communities. This has implications for theorising about knowledge integration and innovation in hybrid virtual settings. Finally, virtual ethnography and multi-level research are suggested for future research.
This paper offers an exploratory conceptual and theoretical examination of knowledge creation within virtual communities of hackers. By distinguishing between different types of virtual communities, we argue that hacker communities involved in free and open source activities possess special structural and processual characteristics that are conducive to innovative product development. Drawing on diverse literatures, this paper thus builds an initial understanding of how a hacker community is organized and how knowledge creation and innovation occur in the hybrid virtual environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.