IMPROVING INNOVATION CAPABILITIES BY COOPERATION: EXAMINING EFFECTS OF CORE NETWORK MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND RELATIONAL MECHANISMS IN THE INDUSTRIAL GOODS SECTOR

Benjamin Weber and Sven Heidenreich
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Benjamin Weber: HTW Saar, University of Applied Sciences, Goebenstraße 40, 66117 Saarbrücken, Germany
Sven Heidenreich: Faculty of Law and Economics, Saarland University P.O. 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany

International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), 2016, vol. 20, issue 07, 1-29

Abstract: For companies, cooperation represents a way to innovate more effectively. Within this respect, past literature stresses the importance of core network management functions and relational mechanisms for the effectiveness of interorganisational cooperation. However, it is still unclear whether and how core network management functions and relational mechanisms improve a firm’s innovation capability from interorganisational cooperation. Based on data of 154 industrial companies, the results from structural equation modelling provide evidence that core network management functions significantly enhance innovation capability improvement of individual firms by interorganisational cooperation. Furthermore, both formal and informal relational mechanisms partially mediate the impact of core network management functions on innovation capability improvement. With regard to informal relational mechanisms, companies should foster trust, guarantee equal power distribution and ascribe high importance to their cooperation. With regard to formal relational mechanisms, companies should provide organisational support to their cooperation, continuously share knowledge with their partners and also meet and communicate on regular basis.

Keywords: Innovation management; cooperation; network management functions; relational mechanisms; innovation capability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1142/S1363919616500742

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