External Knowledge In Organisational Innovation - Toward An Integration Concept

The integration of customer knowledge into innovation processes not only faces companies with many challenges but also opens up opportunities for new product development and fostering innovativeness. Past research describes a multitude of approaches and practical examples, which companies can refer to if they are willing to tap customer knowledge. With the emergence of social software and open innovation there are even more potential paths to follow. In this regard, this research aims to propose a concept that categorises such strategies. Based on a structured literature review in the domain of open innovation the author analysed the body of related literature and best practices in order allocate the identified options within the process of innovation. Thus, the study emphasises strategic perspectives that distinguish between objective-centred, marketing-focused and hybrid approaches. The results can be utilised as guidance for knowledge integration and help companies to navigate through the selection process of strategies for customer knowledge integration in organisational innovation processes.