Using stakeholder dialogue as a source for new ideas. A dynamic capability underlying sustainable innovation

Silvia Ayuso (), Miguel A. Rodriguez and Joan E. Ricart
Additional contact information
Silvia Ayuso: IESE Business School, Postal: Research Division, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN
Miguel A. Rodriguez: IESE Business School, Postal: Research Division, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN
Joan E. Ricart: IESE Business School, Postal: Research Division, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN

No D/633, IESE Research Papers from IESE Business School

Abstract: This paper attempts to gain a deeper understanding of the firm's ability for integrating stakeholder insights into the process of organisational innovation within the context of sustainable development. Given the early stage of empirical research on the topic, we used an exploratory case study method of two Spanish companies that have successfully learned from stakeholder dialogue and have generated innovations that are both beneficial for the company and for sustainable development in general. The evidence from the two case studies suggests the existence of two simple capabilities - stakeholder dialogue and stakeholder knowledge integration - for generating innovations in accordance with stakeholder needs. Whereas stakeholder dialogue leverages organisational resources that promote two-way communication, transparency and appropriate feedback to stakeholders, stakeholder knowledge integration relies on non-hierarchical structures, flexibility and openness to change. The paper sheds some light on the under-researched issue of linking stakeholder dialogue and sustainable innovation, and contributes to opening the 'black box' of dynamic capabilities and advancing in the understanding of this fundamental organisational concept.

Keywords: sustainable development; stakeholders; innovation; capabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2006-05-29
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-ent and nep-ino
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (49)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/DI-0633-E.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0633

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IESE Research Papers from IESE Business School IESE Business School, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Noelia Romero ().