Knowledge‐brokering activities as enactors of innovative constructive deviance in open R&D projects

Abstract

Despite the two sides of deviant behaviors and the fact that knowledge brokers are sometimes presented in a negative light due to their unique position, this article unveils from an innovation perspective how these two intricate individual‐level concepts bring positive outcomes in complex environments. While previous work has highlighted the positive impact of constructive workplace deviance on organizations and their members, research on the antecedents of such deviance is scarce. We use knowledge brokers as an unexplored and pertinent means of enacting innovative constructive deviance. Indeed, knowledge brokering supports innovation by connecting, recombining, and transferring disconnected pools of ideas. A case study of a high‐tech company was conducted. We focused on three B2C and B2B co‐creation projects as one of the main open innovation strategies. The results suggest that knowledge‐brokering activities with customers or partner firms enact innovative constructive deviance in different ways and accelerate creativity and innovation within the organization. This paper contributes to the debate on deviant behaviors and brokering activities within the open innovation paradigm. We enrich the microfoundational perspective of the open innovation literature, shed light on the determinants of innovative constructive deviance, and provide empirical evidence of the relationship between brokering activities and deviant behavior. On a managerial level, the findings suggest that knowledge‐brokering activities among multiple stakeholders foster innovative behaviors within co‐creation projects.