[Brasil] Resumo O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar e analisar a influência do regime tecnológico (MALERBA; ORSENIGO, 1993) e do ambiente de inovação (MALERBA, 2002;LUNDVALL, 1992) sobre o perfil inovativo das empresas de tecnologia da informação, definido pelas estratégias tecnológicas adotadas (FREEMAN; SOETE, 1997), e sobre o desempenho empresarial, medido tanto em relação às inovações geradas quanto em termos econômicos (ativos, receita líquida, patrimônio líquido e pessoal ocupado). Utilizando técnicas estatísticas de análise multivariada, foram testados construtos relativos a cada uma das variáveis analisadas e as correlações entre esses construtos. O construto regime tecnológico que está baseado em quatro dimensões (oportunidade, apropriabilidade, cumulatividade e base de conhecimento) demonstrou-se altamente correlacionado com o perfil inovativo, com exceção da dimensão base de conhecimento. No construto ambiente de inovação, os indicadores de cooperação e outras instituições apresentaram alta correlação com o perfil inovativo. Teórica e praticamente, o presente estudo sugere que o ambiente tecnológico favorece a inovação neste setor e as empresas que realizam atividades de inovação são capazes de obter desempenhos inovativos e econômicos positivos e correlacionados.Palavras-chave: Ambiente de inovação, inovação em serviços, perfil inovativo, regime tecnológico, tecnologia da informação. RAI -Revista de Administração e Inovação

In dynamic and highly competitive markets, such as in the Information Technology industry, innovation is imperative for business competitiveness. This research contributes to studies on innovation in the service sector, traditionally known for being less innovative than the manufacturing sector. Through the lens of Absorptive Capacity and Peripheral Vision constructs, this study aims to explore the relationship between innovative capabilities and innovation outcomes, moderated by competitive environment perceived by the companies’ leadership. Utilizing a multiple case study methodology, this paper examines the process of market information acquisition in three small and medium Brazilian Knowledge Intensive Business Service (KIBS) companies.  It finds evidence that the Absorptive Capacity and Peripheral Vision have functioned as conditioning factors for more innovative outcomes. Furthermore, it presents indication that the leadership’s perception about the competition in the business environment possibly affects to generate differentiated innovative outcomes.

The aim of this case-study based research is to discuss how a large IT multinational company envisioning external tacit knowledge, product of parties interaction in an IT strategic outsourcing, as a source of innovation generation, beyond the explicit knowledge inherent to the contract, through constructs such as knowledge exchange, spillover, externality and absorptive capacity. Therefore, the objective in this exploratory research is to analyze the knowledge exchange and acquisition above the formal information forecasted in the contract between the parties. In order to reach this goal, it was used a qualitative methodology with interviews and open-ended questions, in the company sales department. As a methodology section annex was shown a Table with main constructs, authors and papers. Also it was presented in the Annex a Topic Outline as a way to operationalize the main theoretical concepts and propositions converting them into practical elements and as a guideline for development of the open-ended questions utilized in the interviews. As initial findings we could see that the company sales area is able to acquire additional knowledge beyond the contract with their clients and apply it internally and other clients, resulting as an outcome of process innovation, potentially due to knowledge spillover, externality and knowledge database change, as component of the absorptive capacity. It was captured some company formal mechanisms to stimulate the client facing area to acquire and reuse the knowledge. On the other hand, sometimes the knowledge sharing is individual initiative.

The main objective of this exploratory qualitative case study research is to study the external knowledge acquisition and opportunities translation into innovations. In order to reach this goal it is proposed to use the Peripheral Vision and Absorptive Capacity constructs as lens to study the phenomenon. These two elements composed and combined form a four-phases framework -source, monitoring, interpretation and conversion, which was applied in a Latin America subsidiary of a large Multinational Information Technology Services company. The innovation outcomes were explored as performance evidences of the framework as an innovation process mechanism. As findings we could realise evidences the company seeks and generates innovation mainly using their clients as source, having as outcome, process innovations, with incremental impact. Also we saw the different leadership perspectives about the importance of innovation phases in the framework. Keywords:Innovation. Peripheral Vision. Absorptive Capacity.Uma multinacional de TI inovando na região da américa latina baseado em sinais externos Um estudo de caso exploratório de como uma empresa global de t-KIBS inova adquirindo sinais externos e convertendo-os em inovação RESUMOO principal objetivo deste estudo exploratório, pesquisa qualitativa estudo de caso é estudar a aquisição do conhecimento externo e tradução de oportunidades em inovações. Com o objetivo de atingir esta meta é proposto o uso dos construtos Visão Periférica e Capacidade Absortiva como lentes para estudar o fenômeno. Estes dois elementos compostos e combinados definem um framework de quatro fases -fonte, monitoramento, interpretação e conversão, e foi aplicado em uma subsidiaria da América Latina de uma grande multinacional de serviços de tecnologia da informação. Os resultados da inovação foram explorados como evidências de desempenho do framework como um mecanismo do processo de inovação. Como resultados pudemos ver evidências que a empresa busca e gera inovação principalmente usando seus clientes como fontes de busca, tendo como resultado, principalmente, inovações em processo, com impacto incremental. Também vimos as diferentes perspectivas da liderança sobre a importância das fases da inovação do framework. Palavras-chave:Inovação. Visão Periférica. Capacidade Absortiva.An it multinational company innovating in the latin america region based on external signals. An exploratory case study of how a global t-KIBS company innovates acquiring external signals and converting them into innovation Celso dos Santos Malachias; Luiz Carlos Di Serio INTRODUCTIONCurrently the companies are facing high competition in their business environment. Huge volumes of data are emerging every day. Many signals appear in their market. In such context, how can the company acquire and translate some of these signals into innovation? In order to answer that question, this research studies the knowledge acquisition, based on a proposed framework composed by two main elements, the peripheral vision and the absorptiv...