Customers as External Sources of Knowledge to Foster Innovation

2015 ◽  
pp. 552-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Zapata Cantú ◽  
José Luis Pineda
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Personal Motivation ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
External Sources ◽  
External Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

The overall aim and contribution of this chapter is to identify the main sources of knowledge generation in Mexican firms and the organizational elements that are relevant in this process. Knowledge generation occurs through external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge creation. The latter process is facilitated by personal motivation and the learning opportunities it offers to the organization's employees, who play a key role as initiative and suggestion carriers. In order to evaluate the phenomenon under study, which the literature review reflects as an incipient stage, an exploratory study was conducted. Several interviews were conducted in 23 firms. The results show how knowledge generation activities differ among services and manufacturing firms in 23 Mexican organizations. Services firms emphasize course socialization, meetings, customers and outsourcing, manufacturing in customers, and employee self-directed learning.

The Relevance of Customers as a Source of Knowledge in IT Firms

2011 ◽  
pp. 86-101
Author(s):  
Laura Zapata Cantú ◽  
José Luis Pineda
Keyword(s):  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
External Source ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Personal Motivation ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

The overall aim and contribution of this chapter is to identify the main sources of knowledge generation in IT-related SMEs and the organizational elements that support this process. Knowledge generation occurs through external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge creation. The latter process is facilitated by personal motivation and the learning opportunities it offers to the organization’s employees, who play a key role as initiative and suggestion carriers. In order to evaluate the phenomenon under study, which the literature review reflects as an incipient stage, two-step exploratory research was conducted. In the first stage, eight interviews were conducted in four firms. The objective of the second phase was to validate some of the insight from the first stage, so a questionnaire designed for the research purpose was administered. The results show that knowledge in SMEs in the IT sector is generated mainly by employee self-learning, meetings and customers as an external source. These activities are strongly supported by the employees’ opportunity to learn and by organizational culture.

From knowledge sourcing to firms’ productivity: investigating innovation value chain of Indonesian manufacturing firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Hartono ◽  
Arif Singapurwoko
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Knowledge Sourcing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
External Sources ◽  
External Sources Of Knowledge

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovation value chain (IVC) that encompasses knowledge sourcing, transformation and exploitation activities among Indonesian manufacturing firms by using data from the Indonesia Innovation Survey. Design/methodology/approach A simple approach of single equation Probit model, Logit regression and Tobit regression are used in the first, second and third stages of IVC consecutively. Findings This study finds the existence of a synergistic relationship between internal and external sources of knowledge as well as among external sources of knowledge. In terms of the second link of the IVC, internal R&D plays an important role that positively influences knowledge transformation into all types of innovation and innovation success. External knowledge that has a similar pattern in shaping innovation mainly comes from market and open sources. Scientific institutions tend to contribute to innovation negatively, and few positive impacts on process innovation are observed from government R&D and non-profit R&D institutions. Informal knowledge is more likely to influence technological than non-technological innovation. Research limitations/implications Finally, the limitations of this study need to be acknowledged. Issues related to firms’ sectors have not been discussed in this study, and as a result, sectors’ effects on the three links of IVC cannot be detected. This study is a cross-sectional in nature, as a result, the dynamic of Indonesian manufacturing firms’ IVC is missing. Hence, future studies may address this limitation by conducting a longitudinal study. Originality/value This study is different from the previous IVC studies owing to the following reasons. Firstly, in this study, a broader source of knowledge is tested. Secondly, the wider innovation (technological and non-technological innovation) is also assessed.

The Relevance of Customers as a Source of Knowledge in IT Firms

2013 ◽  
pp. 1308-1322
Author(s):  
Laura Zapata Cantú ◽  
José Luis Pineda
Keyword(s):  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
External Source ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Personal Motivation ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
External Knowledge Acquisition

The overall aim and contribution of this chapter is to identify the main sources of knowledge generation in IT-related SMEs and the organizational elements that support this process. Knowledge generation occurs through external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge creation. The latter process is facilitated by personal motivation and the learning opportunities it offers to the organization’s employees, who play a key role as initiative and suggestion carriers. In order to evaluate the phenomenon under study, which the literature review reflects as an incipient stage, two-step exploratory research was conducted. In the first stage, eight interviews were conducted in four firms. The objective of the second phase was to validate some of the insight from the first stage, so a questionnaire designed for the research purpose was administered. The results show that knowledge in SMEs in the IT sector is generated mainly by employee self-learning, meetings and customers as an external source. These activities are strongly supported by the employees’ opportunity to learn and by organizational culture.

Users’ Involvement in the Innovation Process through Web 2.0

2012 ◽  
pp. 222-255
Author(s):  
Sergio Ricardo Mazini ◽  
José Alcides Gobbo
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
External Sources ◽  
External Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Development Participation

Organizations are inserted into a competitive environment in which innovation is an essential factor in gaining temporary competitive advantages. The search for external sources of knowledge, which can contribute to the innovation process, has become a constant among the organizations. One of the actors involved in this search is users, who often play an important role in the development of new products. This chapter develops a framework for the analysis of users’ involvement in the innovation process through Web 2.0. The research method used a unique case study conducted in a Brazilian automotive company that developed a project of a concept car involving users through Web 2.0. The presented study case was analyzed according to the framework. The obtained result shows that users can contribute not only with idea generation, but also with involvement in the innovation process, depending on which steps of the New Product Development (NPD) process they take part in. Moreover, increasingly users’ development, participation, and collaboration are essential factors in this process.

Users' Involvement in the Innovation Process through Web 2.0

2014 ◽  
pp. 1363-1388
Author(s):  
Sergio Ricardo Mazini ◽  
José Alcides Gobbo Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
External Sources ◽  
External Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Development Participation

Organizations are inserted into a competitive environment in which innovation is an essential factor in gaining temporary competitive advantages. The search for external sources of knowledge, which can contribute to the innovation process, has become a constant among the organizations. One of the actors involved in this search is users, who often play an important role in the development of new products. This chapter develops a framework for the analysis of users' involvement in the innovation process through Web 2.0. The research method used a unique case study conducted in a Brazilian automotive company that developed a project of a concept car involving users through Web 2.0. The presented study case was analyzed according to the framework. The obtained result shows that users can contribute not only with idea generation, but also with involvement in the innovation process, depending on which steps of the New Product Development (NPD) process they take part in. Moreover, increasingly users' development, participation, and collaboration are essential factors in this process.

Some Creativity and Style of Learning and Thinking Correlates of Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1167-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Paul Torrance ◽  
Salah Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Learning Readiness ◽  
Test Product ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
The Right

In an exploratory study of the construct validity of Guglielmino's Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale, 41 graduate students in education were administered the following criterion measures: Sounds and Images (Originality), Thinking Creatively About the Future (Fluency and Originality), Schaefer's Simile Test (Originality), Templeton's Photoanalogies Test, Gershon and Guilford's Possible Jobs test, Khatena and Torrance's What Kind of Person Are You? and Something About Myself, and Torrance's Style of Learning and Thinking test, Product-moment coefficients of correlation between the total Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale scores and the criterion measures supported the construct validity of the Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale with statistically significant relationships for all three of the originality measures ( rs = .52, .38, and .52), the measure of ability to produce analogies ( r = .48), creative achievements and experiences ( r = .71), and the right and left hemisphere styles of learning ( rs = .43 and —.34, respectively).

Head Coaches’ Perceptions on the Roles, Selection, and Development of the Assistant Coach

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Rathwell ◽  
Gordon A. Bloom ◽  
Todd M. Loughead
Keyword(s):  
Head Coaches ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Football Coaches ◽  
Assistant Coaches ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
External Sources ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Assistant Coach ◽  
External Sources Of Knowledge

The purpose of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics head coaches looked for when hiring their head assistant coach, the main roles and responsibilities assigned to assistants, and the techniques and behaviors used to develop them. Data were obtained through interviews with six accomplished Canadian University head football coaches. Results indicated head coaches hired loyal assistants who possessed extensive football knowledge that complimented their own skill sets. Once hired, head coaches had their assistant coaches help them with recruiting, managing a major team unit, and developing athletes. They helped advance their assistants’ careers through personal mentorships which included exposure to external sources of knowledge such as football camps and coaching conferences. These results represent one of the first empirical accounts of head coaches’ perceptions on hiring and developing head assistant coaches.

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