Knowledge processes, knowledge-intensity and innovation: A moderated mediation analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine innovation from a knowledge‐based view by exploring the effect of knowledge processes and knowledge intensity on innovation performance.Design/methodology/approach – First, a theoretical model of the connections between knowledge processes, knowledge intensity and innovation performance is presented. The posited hypotheses are then tested statistically, using a survey dataset of 221 organizations.Findings – The result shows that while all knowledge processes have a beneficial impact on innovation, knowledge creation impacts innovation the most and fully mediates the impact of knowledge documentation, intra‐organizational knowledge sharing and external knowledge acquisition on innovation performance. Furthermore, knowledge intensity increases all knowledge processes. Knowledge intensity also moderates the relationship of documentation and knowledge sharing with knowledge creation. The interaction effect is negative, meaning that firms in less knowledge‐inte...

[1]  Aino Kianto,et al.  The influence of knowledge management on continuous innovation , 2011, Int. J. Technol. Manag..

[2]  Paul Hibbert.  Inter-organizational collaboration , 2010 .

[3]  Jing Xu,et al.  Macro process of knowledge management for continuous innovation , 2010, J. Knowl. Manag..

[4]  Brendan Boyle,et al.  Knowledge creation measurement methods , 2010, J. Knowl. Manag..

[5]  James D. McKeen,et al.  Knowledge management and organizational performance: an exploratory analysis , 2009, J. Knowl. Manag..

[6]  R. Richey,et al.  Exploring knowledge management to organizational performance outcomes in a transitional economy , 2009 .

[7]  J. Jenssen,et al.  INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION PROMOTERS IN SMALL, KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE FIRMS , 2009 .

[8]  Haibo Zhou,et al.  Knowledge Management as a Strategic Tool to Foster Innovativeness of Smes , 2009 .

[9]  Kira Fabrizio.  Absorptive capacity and the search for innovation , 2009 .

[10]  Yvette Taminiau,et al.  Innovation in management consulting firms through informal knowledge sharing , 2009, J. Knowl. Manag..

[11]  Samer Alhawari,et al.  A Theoretical Framework for Knowledge Management Process: Towards Improving Knowledge Performance , 2009 .

[12]  Tatiana A. Soltitskaya,et al.  Tensions between knowledge creation and knowledge sharing: Individual preferences of employees in knowledge-intensive organizations , 2009 .

[13]  Mei Cao,et al.  Exploring the absorptive capacity to innovation/productivity link for individual engineers engaged in IT enabled work , 2008, Inf. Manag..

[14]  Su-Chao Chang,et al.  The linkage between knowledge accumulation capability and organizational innovation , 2008, J. Knowl. Manag..

[15]  P. Christina.  The Knowledge Economy , 2007 .

[16]  Klas Eric Soderquist,et al.  Knowledge effectiveness, social context and innovation , 2007, J. Knowl. Manag..

[17]  Marina du Plessis,et al.  The role of knowledge management in innovation , 2007, J. Knowl. Manag..

[18]  Peter Kenning,et al.  Knowledge management in knowledge intensive service networks: a strategic management approach , 2007 .

[19]  B. Kogut,et al.  Exploring internal stickiness : Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm , 2007 .

[20]  Daniel A. Levinthal,et al.  Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning , 2007 .

[21]  Chun Wei Choo,et al.  Innovation and knowledge creation: How are these concepts related? , 2006, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[22]  Ross L Chapman,et al.  Continuous innovation, performance and knowledge management: an introduction , 2006 .

[23]  Daniel Palacios Marqués,et al.  The effect of knowledge management practices on firm performance , 2006, J. Knowl. Manag..

[24]  Aija Leiponen,et al.  Managing Knowledge for Innovation: The Case of Business‐to‐Business Services* , 2006 .

[25]  Min Basadur,et al.  The Role of Knowledge Management in the Innovation Process , 2006 .

[26]  James D. McKeen,et al.  Knowledge Management and Organizational Performance: An Exploratory Survey , 2006, Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'06).

[27]  Shih-Wei Chou,et al.  Knowledge creation: absorptive capacity, organizational mechanisms, and knowledge storage/retrieval capabilities , 2005, J. Inf. Sci..

[28]  I. Chaston,et al.  The exploitation of market knowledge within relationship orientated small accountancy practices , 2005 .

[29]  Peter Galvin,et al.  Inter-organizational collaboration, knowledge intensity, and the sources of innovation in the bioscience-technology industries , 2005 .

[30]  Andrew L. S. Goh.  Harnessing knowledge for innovation: an integrated management framework , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[31]  Sharon F. Matusik,et al.  Absorptive Capacity in the Software Industry: Identifying Dimensions That Affect Knowledge and Knowledge Creation Activities , 2005 .

[32]  Jenny Darroch,et al.  Knowledge management, innovation and firm performance , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[33]  Ken G. Smith,et al.  Existing Knowledge, Knowledge Creation Capability, and the Rate of New Product Introduction in High-Technology Firms , 2005 .

[34]  Catherine L. Wang,et al.  The development and validation of the organisational innovativeness construct using confirmatory factor analysis , 2004 .

[35]  Woojong Suh,et al.  Knowledge management as enabling R&D innovation in high tech industry: the case of SAIT , 2004, J. Knowl. Manag..

[36]  El-Sayed Abou-Zeid,et al.  THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INNOVATION: A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT APPROACH , 2004 .

[37]  A. Neely,et al.  Networking and Innovation: A Systematic Review of the Evidence , 2004 .

[38]  P. Trott.  Innovation Management And New Product Development , 2004 .

[39]  M. Terziovski,et al.  Exploring the relationship between knowledge management practices and innovation performance , 2004 .

[40]  C. Un,et al.  Strategies for Knowledge Creation in Firms , 2004 .

[41]  A. Adam.  Whatever happened to information systems ethics? Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea , 2004 .

[42]  Jenny Darroch,et al.  Developing a measure of knowledge management behaviors and practices , 2003, J. Knowl. Manag..

[43]  Maxine Robertson,et al.  Knowledge Creation in Professional Service Firms: Institutional Effects , 2003 .

[44]  J. Weerawardena.  Exploring the role of market learning capability in competitive strategy , 2003 .

[45]  J. Darroch,et al.  Beyond Market Orientation: The Adoption of Knowledge Management Practices and the Innovativeness of New Zealand Firms , 2003 .

[46]  Uday R. Kulkarni,et al.  Organizational Self Assessment of Knowledge Management Maturity , 2003, AMCIS.

[47]  Gee-Woo Bock,et al.  Knowledge management and process innovation: the knowledge transformation path in Samsung SDI , 2002, J. Knowl. Manag..

[48]  Amy L. Ostrom,et al.  Client Co-Production in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services , 2002 .

[49]  S. Zahra,et al.  Absorptive Capacity: A Review, Reconceptualization, and Extension , 2002 .

[50]  Rosanna Garcia,et al.  A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: a literature review , 2002 .

[51]  Kathleen Shearer,et al.  Understanding knowledge management and information management: the need for an empirical perspective , 2002, Inf. Res..

[52]  Teresa García-Marco,et al.  Firms' motivations for cooperative R&D: an empirical analysis of Spanish firms , 2001 .

[53]  Mihir A. Parikh,et al.  Knowledge Management Framework for High-Tech Research and Development , 2001 .

[54]  Bente R. Løwendahl,et al.  Knowledge and Value Creation in Professional Service Firms: A Framework for Analysis , 2001 .

[55]  Lex Donaldson,et al.  Reflections on Knowledge and Knowledgeintensive Firms , 2001 .

[56]  Dorothy E. Leidner,et al.  Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues , 2001, MIS Q..

[57]  Ganesh D. Bhatt,et al.  Knowledge management in organizations: examining the interaction between technologies, techniques, and people , 2001, J. Knowl. Manag..

[58]  E. Autio,et al.  Effects of Age at Entry, Knowledge Intensity, and Imitability on International Growth , 2000 .

[59]  Alberto Carneiro,et al.  How does knowledge management influence innovation and competitiveness? , 2000, J. Knowl. Manag..

[60]  Anne-Wil Harzing,et al.  Cross-National Industrial Mail Surveys: Why Do Response Rates Differ between Countries? , 2000 .

[61]  J. Levine,et al.  Knowledge Transfer in Organizations: Learning from the Experience of Others☆ , 2000 .

[62]  L. Argote,et al.  KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: A BASIS FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN FIRMS , 2000 .

[63]  Babita Gupta,et al.  Knowledge management: practices and challenges , 2000, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[64]  Thomas H. Davenport,et al.  Book review:Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Harvard Business School Press, 1998. $29.95US. ISBN 0‐87584‐655‐6 , 1998 .

[65]  Jacob Norvig Larsen,et al.  Knowledge, Human Resources and Social Practice: The Knowledge-Intensive Business Service Firm as a Distributed Knowledge System , 2001 .

[66]  Roger Bennett,et al.  Organisational factors and knowledge management within large marketing departments: an empirical study , 1999, J. Knowl. Manag..

[67]  R. Gulati.  Network location and learning: the influence of network resources and firm capabilities on alliance formation , 1999 .

[68]  Guillermo Pérez-Bustamante,et al.  Knowledge management in agile innovative organisations , 1999, J. Knowl. Manag..

[69]  Tim Morris,et al.  Organisation and expertise: An exploration of knowledge bases and the management of accounting , 1998 .

[70]  Raimo Nurmi,et al.  Knowledge-intensive firms , 1998 .

[71]  Tim Morris,et al.  Organization and Expertise: An Exploration of Knowledge Management in Accounting and Consulting Firms , 1998 .

[72]  John Bessant,et al.  Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market, and Organizational Change, 2nd Edition , 2001 .

[73]  Andrew B. Hargadon,et al.  Technology brokering and innovation in a product development firm. , 1997 .

[74]  L. Dosier,et al.  Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings , 1997 .

[75]  R. Grant,et al.  Knowledge and the firm: Overview , 1996 .

[76]  W. Powell,et al.  Interorganizational Collaboration and the Locus of Innovation: Networks of Learning in Biotechnology. , 1996 .

[77]  Jagdip Singh,et al.  Measurement Issues in Cross-National Research , 1995 .

[78]  Vladimir Zwass,et al.  Actualizing Organizational Memory with Information Systems , 1995, Inf. Syst. Res..

[79]  M. Alvesson.  Management Of Knowledge-Intensive Companies , 1995 .

[80]  I. Nonaka,et al.  The Knowledge Creating Company , 2008 .

[81]  J. Spender.  COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FROM TACIT KNOWLEDGE? UNPACKING THE CONCEPT AND ITS STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS. , 1993 .

[82]  Ricky W. Griffin,et al.  Toward a Theory of Organizational Creativity , 1993 .

[83]  W. Starbuck.  Learning by Knowledge-Intensive Firms , 1992 .

[84]  B. Kogut,et al.  Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology , 1992 .

[85]  I. Nonaka.  The knowledge creating company". Harvard Business Review : . , 1991 .

[86]  Daniel A. Levinthal,et al.  ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LEARNING AND INNOVATION , 1990 .

[87]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[88]  Rolph E. Anderson,et al.  Multivariate Data Analysis with Readings , 1979 .

[89]  C. Freeman.  Economics of Industrial Innovation , 1975 .

[90]  R. Brislin.  Back-Translation for Cross-Cultural Research , 1970 .