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External knowledge sources as antecedents of organizational innovation in firm workplaces: a knowledge-based perspective

Lurdes Simao (Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e Humanas, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal)
Mário Franco (Department of Management and Economics, CEFAGE-UBI Research Center, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal)

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Article publication date: 12 February 2018

Issue publication date: 27 March 2018

1794

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the impact of different knowledge sources used by firms to adopt organizational innovation, in relation to organization of responsibilities and decision-making in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

To fulfil the proposed objective, quantitative research, based on a sample of 2,591 Portuguese firms, has been undertaken. Data have been obtained from the Community Innovation Survey 2012.

Findings

The results show the importance of external knowledge from suppliers, clients, consultants and commercial laboratories in new innovation practices in firm workplace. Knowledge from competitors, universities, the State and research institutes does not present a significant effect.

Practical implications

Knowledge sources can stimulate the introduction of new management practices in the workplace, consistent with the external search literature on technological innovation, which argues that many of the ideas and implementation skills for organizational innovation come from outside sources.

Originality/value

Within the innovation management literature, very few studies tried to explore organizational innovation in firm workplaces. This paper is innovative and makes a novel contribution mainly to the knowledge management field by highlighting the importance of external knowledge sources in organizational innovation in firm workplaces from a knowledge-based perspective.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments which contributed to the development of this paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from FCT and FEDER/COMPETE through grant PEst-C/EGE/UI4007/2013.

Citation

Simao, L. and Franco, M. (2018), "External knowledge sources as antecedents of organizational innovation in firm workplaces: a knowledge-based perspective", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 237-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2017-0002

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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