A Proposal for a Standard With Innovation Management System

MariaJesus Luengo and Maria Obeso
Innovation is linked with strategy in enterprises, because if there is not it, innovation success is not
possible (Lawson and Samson, 2001). In this sense, strategy is necessary in order to put resources,
products, process and systems, and all of them are connected with innovation activity (Akman and
Yilman, 2008).Enterprises need innovations if they want to growth and improve their performance in a
dynamic and changing environment as the current, so innovation is a strategic tool for businesses
(Gardakeret al., 1998).
Innovation is linked with some factors and one of them is the external resources because
organizations need different sources of information for innovation (Crespiet al., 2008). Some studies
have identified innovation success with businesses that use more heterogeneous knowledge (Ahuja
and Lampert, 2001; Ahuja and Katila, 2004; Katila and Ahuja, 2002). This heterogeneous knowledge
is linked with different information sources like, for example, with external sources like customers and
suppliers that can affect to the innovation results (Rosenkopf and Nerkar, 2001; Ahuja and Katila,
2001; Laursen and Salter, 2006; Veugelers and Cassiman, 1999). Managers and organizations can
learn about the technology from outsiders like customers, suppliers, competitors and consultants
(Wang, 2009).
On one hand, customer collaboration is essential in order to improve the products and services in
organizations (Luschet al., 2007). In this sense customers are an interesting source of information
and businesses should incorporate their proposals in organizations during the course of their
innovation activities (Blazevic and Lievens, 2008) in order to improve their performance. In this sense,
customer and enterprise relationship is an output that is called as coproduction, where the degree to
which customers and companies create new knowledge with their interaction (Luschet al., 2007).
Some studies show that customer participation in businesses have had a positive effect for innovation
activities particularly (Chesbrough, 2003; Laursen and Salter, 2006; Lichtenthaler, 2008), and for
companies in general (Blazevic and Lievens, 2008) like for example Bownerset al. (1990), who linked
customer participation with a lower cost, Lovelock and Young (1979) who linked it with increase the
efficiency, and Meuteret al.,(2000) who linked it with customer satisfaction. As consequently, we
propose this hypothesis:
H.1. There is a positive relationship between information by the customers and innovation results in
businesses.
Another external source provides by the suppliers. Although the suppliers have not been researched
intensively, they are linked with the innovation process (Gassmannet al., 2010). Following Hagedoorn
(1993, 2002), when the suppliers participate into the first phases in innovation process, the innovation
performance could be increase. In addition, organizations linked with suppliers that have strategic
learning goals in the contract, will have a positive effect in their internal competencies (Nordberg et
al., 2003). In this sense and about suppliers highlight, we propose the follow hypothesis:
H.2. There is a positive relationship between information by the suppliers and innovation results in
businesses.
Another external source is competitors. In general, economic theory has related competition with a
better performance and good management practices (like for example, Nickell, 1996; Okada, 2005).
In the case of innovation, competition connects with technological best practices (Boldrinet al., 2011).
This point is linked with competitor orientation, that it can be defined like ability of firm to define and
analyze its competitors´ activities and to response them (Gatignon and Xuereb, 1997). In this sense,
we propose the follow hypothesis:
H.3. There is a positive relationship between information by the competitors and innovation results in
businesses.
Finally, literature identifies another external source in order to improve their innovation results:
consultants (Wang, 2009). Related with this point, we propose the follow hypothesis:
H.4. There is a positive relationship between information by the consultants and innovation results in
businesses.
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