Searching for innovation knowledge: insight into KIBS companies

Małgorzata Zięba; Ettore Bolisani; Marco Paiola; Enrico Scarso

doi:10.1057/s41275-017-0050-1

Searching for innovation knowledge: insight into KIBS companies

Abstract

The paper analyses the activity of research for “innovation knowledge”—here defined as knowledge that can lead to the introduction of service innovations—by Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) companies. It proposes a classification of the possible search approaches adopted by those companies based on two dimensions: the pro-activity of search efforts and the source primarily used. Such classification is then discussed on the basis of the findings of a multiple case-study investigation involving 15 Italian and Polish KIBS companies. The study confirms that KIBS firms follow various approaches to acquire knowledge for innovation: some companies adopt a passive behaviour (i.e. innovative ideas come as a kind of side effect of their daily business activities), while others an active one (namely, they actively search for new ideas originating from various sources); some rely more on internal resources (employees, in-house R&D, internal documents, etc.), while others on external sources (clients, suppliers, service providers, universities, etc.). The results of the study have implications both for research and management that are discussed in the conclusions.

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Authors (4)

Małgorzata Zięba dr hab. inż.
Ettore Bolisani Dr
- DTG - Department of Management and Engineering University of Padova, Padua, Italy
Marco Paiola Dr
- Department of Economics University of Padova, Padua, Italy
Enrico Scarso Dr
- DTG - Department of Management and Engineering University of Padova, Padua, Italy

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Category:: Articles
Type:: artykuł w czasopiśmie wyróżnionym w JCR
Published in:: Knowledge Management Research & Practice no. 15, pages 282 - 293,
ISSN: 1477-8238
Language:: English
Publication year:: 2017
Bibliographic description:: Zięba M., Bolisani E., Paiola M., Scarso E.: Searching for innovation knowledge: insight into KIBS companies// Knowledge Management Research & Practice. -Vol. 15, nr. 2 (2017), s.282-293
DOI:: Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1057/s41275-017-0050-1
Verified by:: Gdańsk University of Technology