Variety in external knowledge sourcing and innovation novelty: Evidence from the KIBS sector in Spain

Innovation in R&D service firms: evidence from the UK

“…The use of open innovation also benefits them to generate more revenue by employing technology out-licensing strategy. The findings expand empirical evidence on knowledge sourcing and open innovation activities in KIBS sub-sector (Mina, Bascavusoglu-Moreau, and Hughes 2014;Rodriguez, Doloreux, and Shearmur 2017).…”

“…R&D), KIBS innovation relies extensively on 'soft' sources (i.e. cooperation with customers, suppliers and universities) (Tether and Metcalfe 2003;Muller and Doloreux 2009;Rodriguez, Doloreux, and Shearmur 2017). Based on a priori distinction between P-KIBS and T-KIBS, Freel (2006) finds that the share of highly qualified staff is significantly associated with innovativeness of T-KIBS, whereas the importance of customer and supplier cooperation is positively related to innovation in P-KIBS.…”

The effect of public support on senior manager attitudes to innovation

“…Finally, senior manager openness to external knowledge reflects their tendency to regularly utilise external knowledge for innovation and objectively value its contribution vis-a-via internal knowledge. As transferring and utilising external knowledge drives innovation (Nieto and Santamaría, 2007;Rodriguez et al, 2017), senior manager openness to external knowledge drives innovation by shaping external knowledge activities (Antons and Piller, 2015;. For example, when attitudes to external knowledge are negatively biased (i.e.…”

“…Innovation vouchers aim to incentivise firms to collaborate with a public or private organisation to address an innovation problem the firm is encountering (Bakhshi et al, 2015;Cornet et al, 2006;Sala et al, 2016). Hence, they build on the understanding that external collaboration drives innovation (Nieto and Santamaria, 2007;Rodriguez et al, 2017). Through funding the collaboration, innovation vouchers aim to induce a range of attitudinal, intentional and behavioural changes that increase their future collaboration and innovation propensity (Bakhshi et al, 2015;SQW, 2014).…”

“…Specifically, senior manager support for innovation and risk tolerance have been found to be important in creating an innovation-orientated climate within firms where innovation is adequately resourced and employees are encouraged to engage in innovation (Kraiczy et al, 2015a;2015b;Ling et al, 2008). Moreover, given the increasingly important role of external knowledge in the innovation process (Nieto and Santamaria, 2007;Rodriguez et al, 2017), extant work suggests that attitudes to external knowledge are important through their shaping influence on external knowledge activities (Ahn et al, 2017;Antons and Piller, 2015). Collectively, these three individual innovation attitudes -support for innovation, risk tolerance and attitude towards sourcing of external knowledge -comprise senior manager innovation-orientated attitudes.…”