Solving Environmental Problems: Coordination in Collaborative Search Across Borders

Christoph Grimpe, Anders Ørding Olsen, Wolfgang Sofka

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    Recent innovation and strategy research emphasizes the importance of firm’s search for external knowledge to improve innovation performance. We focus on such search strategies within the domain of sustainable innovation in which probl
    ems are inherently complex and the relevant knowledge is widely dispersed. As a
    result, firms frequently collaborate with international partners. We shed new light on collaborative search strategies led by firms in general and for solving environmental problems in particular. Both topics are largely absent in the extant open innovation literature. Using data from the European Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development, our results indicate that the problem solving potential of a search strategy increases with the diversity of existing knowledge of the partners in a consortium and with the
    experience of the partners involved. Moreover, we identify a substantial negative effect from involving partners in a search consortium who collaborate for the first time. Our findings have implications for both the literature on firms’ search and the creation of sustainable innovation.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication date2015
    Publication statusPublished - 2015
    EventAIB 2015 Annual Meeting: Global Networks:Organizations and People - Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), Bengaluru, India
    Duration: 27 Jun 201530 Jun 2015
    Conference number: 57
    https://aib.msu.edu/events/2015/

    Conference

    ConferenceAIB 2015 Annual Meeting
    Number57
    LocationIndian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB)
    Country/TerritoryIndia
    CityBengaluru
    Period27/06/201530/06/2015
    Internet address

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