Winning combinations: search strategies and innovativeness in the UK

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

Is the corporate social responsibility–innovation link homogeneous?: Looking for sustainable innovation in the Spanish context

“…To test for the existence of differences regarding the effect of CSR on innovation, we use the three different innovation types identified in the "fateful triangle" model (Ballot et al, 2015): product, process, and organizational innovation. In line with the previous literature (i.e., Criscuolo, Laursen, Reichstein, & Salter, 2017;Karlsson & Tavassoli, 2016) Product it , Process it , and Organizational it are dummy variables that take the value 1 when firm i has introduced a product, process, or organizational innovation over the two previous years, respectively, and 0 otherwise.…”

Reviewing the Field of External Knowledge Search for Innovation: Theoretical Underpinnings and Future (Re‐)search Directions

“…We know little of the conditions under which one search approach is more valuable than another. Moreover, we do not fully comprehend the winning combinations of multiple external sources (Criscuolo, Laursen, Reichstein, and Salter, 2018), or the suitable search approaches for different types of firms (large or small, market pioneer or follower). In addition, the literature shows negative aspects of search, such as oversearch and large search costs (Laursen and Salter, 2006).…”

“…Taking both challenges together, the richness and dynamism of research potentially hinders the development of a coherent body of knowledge, with the result that a comprehensive understanding of the field is lacking. Accordingly, researchers have called for action to address this fragmented theoretical understanding (Grimpe and Sofka, 2016) in order to improve the search for external knowledge for innovations (Criscuolo, Laursen, Reichstein, and Salter, 2018).…”

DUI and STI innovation modes in the Canadian wine industry: The geography of interaction modes

“…While it is widely acknowledged that these two modes are important constituents of innovation, it is also worth stressing that scholarly work has increasingly recognised that the most intense innovation activity occurs when both modes are combined (Holtskog, 2017). This idea was originally discussed by Isaksen and Karlsen (2012), when they introduced the concept of combined and complex innovation, and by Criscuolo, Laursen, Reichstein, and Salter (2018) who introduced the idea of combinatorial knowledge search strategy to show how different kinds of knowledge are used and combined in the innovation process.…”