Innovation in Organizations : Informal Networks, Knowledge Sharing, and the Development of Firms' Innovative Capabilities

The ability to generate new knowledge is one of the main drivers through which organizations can achieve a position of competitive advantage. While being able to innovate means different things in different contexts, the processes and actions through which companies mobilize knowledge to innovate are remarkably comparable across different types of organizations. This book, starting from an in-depth study of a corporate R & D lab, proposes a general framework to discuss the development of innovative capabilities in organizations. The proposed framework builds on the importance of informal knowledge-sharing ties among individuals in the organization to illustrate the process through which relevant knowledge is accessed, acquired, and leveraged to generate innovations. Book jacket.