Changes in firm knowledge couplings and firm innovation performance: the moderating role of technological complexity

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Strategic Management Journal

Abstract

We investigate the effect of changes in a firm's knowledge couplings on its innovation performance. We develop arguments to explain how changes in couplings among existing knowledge domains and those between new and existing knowledge domains affect the generation of valuable inventions. We also examine how observed domain complexity, an indicator of the inherent interdependencies among knowledge domains, moderates the effects of changes in a firm's knowledge couplings on innovation performance. Our results suggest that a change in couplings among existing knowledge domains hurts innovation outcomes, but not when the degree of domain complexity is high, whereas coupling new and existing knowledge domains leads to improved outcomes, but not when the degree of domain complexity is high. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Publication Date

22-11-2013

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Volume

Vol.36

Issue

Iss.3

Share

COinS