Dynamic knowledge management capabilities and dynamic innovation capability of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS): the moderating role of functional and competitors’ integration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/ree.n1.2025.9158Keywords:
dynamic capabilities, knowledge management, innovation, integration of competitors, integration between functional areasAbstract
In this paper we aim to analyse the influence that dynamic knowledge management capabilities have on dynamic innovation capabilities and the moderating effect that the integration of both competitors and functional areas has on this relationship. To do so, a questionnaire was developed for the executives of the companies under study. We focused on Spanish companies in the service sector with activities for technological innovation, technological KIBS. The work was focused on Spanish companies in the services sector with activities for technological innovation, knowledge-intensive service companies, KIBS technology. The data collection period was carried out between February and May 2023. For the selection of the sample, we used information from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on enterprises in the service sector in Spain with technological innovation activities, focusing on companies with 10 or more employees. The SABI database was subsequently used to refine and fine-tune the selection of firms meeting the specific criteria of the study. A total of 200 valid questionnaires were obtained. To verify our hypotheses, we used a hierarchical regression analysis. The results obtained confirm the proposed hypotheses. Dynamic knowledge management capabilities, considered as internal and external learning competencies, favour the development of dynamic innovation capabilities of KIBS, measured according to the degree of adaptability, creativity, proactivity and mastery of knowledge around services. The adequate integration of competing companies and functional areas positively moderates this relationship. The originality of the work lies in the study of the development of dynamic innovation capabilities in the services sector in a context of high technological uncertainty, highlighting the important moderating role played by both the integration of competing companies and the integration of the functional areas of the company.
Downloads
References
Alegre, J., Sengupta, K., & Lapiedra, R. (2013). Knowledge management and innovation performance in a high-tech SMEs industry. International Small Business Journal, 31(4), 454-470. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242611417472
Amit, R., & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1993). Strategic assets and organizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1), 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140105
Andersen, J. (2021). A relational natural-resource-based view on product innovation: The influence of green product innovation and green suppliers on differentiation advantage in small manufacturing firms. Technovation, 104, 102254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102254
Ardito, L., Raby, S., Albino, V., & Bertoldi, B. (2021). The duality of digital and environmental orientations in the context of SMEs: Implications for innovation performance. Journal of Business Research, 123, 44–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.022
Arora, A., Belenzon, S., & Patacconi, A. (2018). The decline of science in corporate R&D. Strategic Management Journal, 39(1), 3–32.
Bashir, N. (2024). Knowledge identification for open innovation: A case study of biotechnology firms. Business Process Management Journal, 30(4), 1131–1153. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-05-2023-0403
Beheregarai Finger, A., Flynn, B. B., & Laureanos Paiva, E. (2014). Anticipation of new technologies: Supply chain antecedents and competitive performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(6), 807-828. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2012-0386
Bengtsson, M., & Kock, S. (2014). Coopetition—Quo vadis? Past accomplishments and future challenges. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(2), 180-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2014.02.015
Boer, H., Caffyn, S., Corso, M., Coughlan, P., Gieskes, J., Magnusson, M., Pavesi, S., & Ronchi, S. (2001). Knowledge and continuous innovation: The CIMA methodology. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(4), 490-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570110381390
Cassiman, B., Di Guardo, M. C., & Valentini, G. (2009). Organising R&D projects to profit from innovation: Insights from co-opetition. Long Range Planning, 42(2), 216-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2009.01.001
Cegarra-Navarro, J. G., & Sánchez-Polo, M. T. (2011). Influence of the open-mindedness culture on organizational memory: An empirical investigation of Spanish SMEs. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.538963
Chaudhuri, A., Boer, H., & Taran, Y. (2018). Supply chain integration, risk management and manufacturing flexibility. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(3), 690-712. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-08-2015-0508
Cheng, C. C. J., & Chen, J. S. (2013). Breakthrough innovation: The roles of dynamic innovation capabilities and open innovation activities. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 28(5), 444–454. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858621311330281
Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business School Press.
Chiambaretto, P., Bengtsson, M., Fernandez, A. S., & Näsholm, M. H. (2020). Small and large firms’ trade-off between benefits and risks when choosing a coopetitor for innovation. Long Range Planning, 53, Article 101934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2019.03.002
Christensen, P. R., Munksgaard, K. B., & Bang, A. L. (2017). The wicked problems of supplier-driven innovation. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 32(6), 836–847. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-06-2015-0110
Collins, D. J. (1994). Research note: How valuable are organizational capabilities? Strategic Management Journal, 15(S1), 143-152. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250150910
Coombs, R., & Metcalfe, S. (2002). Innovation in pharmaceuticals: Perspectives on the coordination, combination, and creation of capabilities. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 14(3), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/095373202200002104
Corbo, L., Kraus, S., Vlačić, B., Dabić, M., Caputo, A., & Pellegrini, M. M. (2022). Coopetition and innovation: A review and research agenda. Technovation, 102624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102624
Crick, J. M., Karami, M., & Crick, D. (2022). Is it enough to be market-oriented? How coopetition and industry experience affect the relationship between a market orientation and customer satisfaction performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 100, 62-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.11.002
DeCarolis, D. M., & Deeds, D. L. (1999). The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: An empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry. Strategic Management Journal, 20(10), 953-968. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199910)20:10%3C953::AID-SMJ59%3E3.0.CO;2-3
Del Giudice, M., & Maggioni, V. (2014). Managerial practices and operative directions of knowledge management within inter-firm networks: A global view. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(5), 841–846. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-06-2014-0264
Enberg, C. (2012). Enabling knowledge integration in coopetitive R&D projects: The management of conflicting logics. International Journal of Project Management, 30(7), 771-780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.01.003
Fabrizio, K. R. (2009). Absorptive capacity and the search for innovation. Research Policy, 38(2), 255–267.
Farazi, M. S., Chiambaretto, P., Fernandez, A., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2024). Unbundling the impact of current and future competition on cooperation in coopetition projects for innovation. Research Policy, 53(6), Article 105017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2024.105017
Felin, T., Foss, N. J., & Ployhart, R. E. (2015). The microfoundations movement in strategy and organization theory. The Academy of Management Annals, 9(1), 575-632. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2015.1007651
Ferraris, A., Santoro, G., & Dezi, L. (2017). How MNC’s subsidiaries may improve their innovative performance? The role of external sources and knowledge management capabilities. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(3), 540-562. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-09-2016-0411
Flynn, B. B., Huo, B., & Zhao, X. (2010). The impact of supply chain integration on performance: A contingency and configuration approach. Journal of Operations Management, 28(1), 58-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2009.06.001
Gambardella, A. (1992). Competitive advantages from in-house scientific research: The US pharmaceutical industry in the 1980s. Research Policy, 21(5), 391–407.
Gast, J., Gundolf, K., Harms, R., & Collado, E. M. (2019). Knowledge management and coopetition: How do cooperating competitors balance the needs to share and protect their knowledge? Industrial Marketing Management, 77, 65-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.12.007
Gnyawali, D. R., & Park, B. J. R. (2009). Co-opetition and technological innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises: A multilevel conceptual model. Journal of Small Business Management, 47(3), 308-330. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2009.00273.x
Gnyawali, D. R., & Park, B. J. R. (2011). Co-opetition between giants: Collaboration with competitors for technological innovation. Research Policy, 40(5), 650-663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.01.009
Grant, R. (1996). Prospering in dynamically competitive environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization Science, 7(4), 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.7.4.375
Hagedoorn, J. (1993). Understanding the rationale of strategic technology partnering: Interorganizational modes of cooperation and sectoral differences. Strategic Management Journal, 14(5), 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140505
Homburg, C., & Kuehnl, C. (2014). Is the more always better? A comparative study of internal and external integration practices in new product and new service development. Journal of Business Research, 67(7), 1360–1367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.08.017
Huang, K. F., & Yu, C. M. J. (2011). The effect of competitive and non-competitive R&D collaboration on firm innovation. Journal of Technology Transfer, 36(4), 383–403. DOI 10.1007/s10961-010-9155-x
Hulland, J. (1999). Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: A review of four recent studies. Strategic Management Journal, 20(2), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199902)20:2<195::AID-SMJ13>3.0.CO;2-7
Jaccard, J., Wan, C. K., & Turrisi, R. (1990). The detection and interpretation of interaction effects between continuous variables in multiple regression. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25(4), 467–478. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2504_4
Jansen, J. J. P., Van Den Bosch, F. A. J., & Volberda, H. W. (2005). Managing potential and realized absorptive capacity: How do organizational antecedents matter? Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.19573106
Jiang, H., Gai, J., Chen, C., & Yang, J. (2024). Influence of standards alliance coopetition relationship on enterprises’ technology innovation performance — A dual-path perspective of knowledge acquisition and routine updating. Technology in Society, 78, 102683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102683
Kang, K. H., & Kang, J. (2010). Does partner type matter in R&D collaboration for product innovation? Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 22(8), 945–959. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2010.520473
Kang, M., Ki-Hyun, U., Shou, Y., & Roh, J. J. (2022). Matching goal-based incentive systems with cross-functional integration to improve operation and innovation performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(2), 230–254. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-05-2021-0345
Khraishi, A., Paulraj, A., Huq, F., & Seepana, C. (2022). Knowledge management in offshoring innovation by SMEs: Role of internal knowledge creation capability, absorptive capacity and formal knowledge-sharing routines. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 28(2), 405–422. https://doi.org/10.1108/scm-05-2021-0256
Kim, J., & Parkhe, A. (2009). Competing and cooperating similarity in global strategic alliances: An exploratory examination. British Journal of Management, 20(3), 363–376. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00580.x
Knoppen, D., Saris, W., & Moncagatta, P. (2022). Absorptive capacity dimensions and the measurement of cumulativeness. Journal of Business Research, 139, 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.065
Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: A full collinearity assessment approach. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijec.2015100101
Lawson, B., & Samson, D. (2001). Developing innovation capability in organizations: A dynamic capabilities approach. International Journal of Innovation Management, 5(3), 377–400. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919601000427
Li, S., Wang, K., Huo, B., Zhao, X., & Cui, X. (2022). The impact of cross-functional coordination on customer coordination and operational performance: An information processing view. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(1), 167–193. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2021-0265
Linke, A., & Zerfass, A. (2011). Internal communication and innovation culture: Developing a change framework. Journal of Communication Management, 15(4), 332–348. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632541111183361
Lopes-Bento, C., & Simeth, M. (2023). Research versus development, external knowledge, and firm innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12714
López Sáez, P., & Cruz González, J. (2016). Contribución del aprendizaje organizativo al avance de la perspectiva de capacidades dinámicas: Estado del arte y agenda futura. Economía Industrial, 399, 93–102.
Mariani, M., & Belitski, M. (2023). The effect of coopetition intensity on first mover advantage and imitation in innovation-related coopetition: Empirical evidence from UK firms. European Management Journal, 41(5), 779–791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2022.05.001
Maroofi, F. (2015). Examining the dynamics of cooperation between competing firms in their R&D activities (R&D co-opetition). The South East Asian Journal of Management, 9(2), 87–107. https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/seam/vol9/iss2/1?utm_source=scholarhub.ui.ac.id%2Fseam%2Fvol9%2Fiss2%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Martelo, S., Barroso, C., & Cepeda, G. (2013). The use of organizational capabilities to increase customer value. Journal of Business Research, 66(10), 2042–2050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.02.030
McEvily, B., & Marcus, A. (2005). Embedded ties and the acquisition of competitive capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 26(11), 1033–1055 https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.484
Miles, I., Belousova, V., Chichkanov, N., & Krayushkina, Z. (2021). The impact of the Coronacrisis on KIBS sector. Foresight and STI Governance, 15(1), 6–18. https://doi.org/10.17323/2500-2597.2021.1.6.18
Mota Veiga, P. M. L., Herrera-Ballesteros, J., & de las Heras-Rosas, C. (2024). Cooperation and coopetition, determinants of openness in product innovation and human resource management: Comparative study between Spain and Portugal. Technology in Society, 78, 102667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102667
Naylor, J. B., Griffiths, J., & Naim, M. (2001). Knowledge-based system for estimating steel plant performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(7), 1000–1019. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570110393469
Neely, A., Filippini, R., Forza, C., Vinelli, A., & Hii, J. (2001). A framework for analyzing business performance, firm innovation, and related contextual factors: Perceptions of managers and policymakers in two European regions. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 12(2), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.1108/09576060110384307
Nieto, M. J., & Santamaría, L. (2007). The importance of diverse collaborative networks for the novelty of product innovation. Technovation, 27(6), 367–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2006.10.001
Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1080/23735082.2023.2272611
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
O'Connor, G. C. (2008). Major innovation as a dynamic capability: A systems approach. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 25(4), 313–330. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2008.00324.x
Oke, A., Prajogo, D., Idiagbon-Oke, M., & Cheng, T. C. E. (2022). Linking environmental forces, absorptive capacity, information sharing and innovation performance. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(7), 1738–1755. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-12-2021-0732
Quintana-García, C., & Benavides-Velasco, C. (2004). Cooperation, competition, and innovative capability: A panel data of European dedicated biotechnology firms. Technovation, 24(12), 927–938. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4972(03)00060-9
Ritala, P., & Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, P. (2009). What's in it for me? Creating and appropriating value in innovation-related coopetition. Technovation, 29(12), 819–828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2009.07.002
Ritala, P., & Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, P. (2012). Incremental and radical innovation in competition: The role of absorptive capacity and appropriability. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 30(1), 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2012.00956.x
Robertson, T. S., & Gatignon, H. (1998). Technology development mode: A transaction cost conceptualization. Strategic Management Journal, 19(6), 515–531. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199806)19:6%3C515::AID-SMJ960%3E3.0.CO;2-F
Rouyre, A., Fernandez, A., & Bruyaka, O. (2024). Big problems require large collective actions: Managing multilateral coopetition in strategic innovation networks. Technovation, 132, 102968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2024.102968
Sen, F. K., & Egelhoff, W. G. (2000). Innovative capabilities of a firm and the use of technical alliances. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 47(2), 174–183. 0018-9391(00)03363-8
Shou, Y., Li, Y., Park, Y., & Kang, M. (2018). Supply chain integration and operational performance: The contingency effects of production systems. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 24(4), 352–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2017.11.004
Simts, A., & Kok, R. (2012). The interplay between outbound team strategy and market information processing in the course of ‘really new’ NPD project. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(5), 759–769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2012.06.011
Sombultawee, K., & Boon-itt, S. (2018). Marketing-operations alignment: A review of the literature and theoretical background. Operations Research Perspectives, 5, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orp.2017.11.001
Spender, J. (1992). Limits to learning from the West: How Western management advice may prove limited in Eastern Europe. International Executive, 34(5), 389–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.5060340503
Spender, J. C., & Grant, R. M. (1996). Knowledge and the firm: Overview. Strategic Management Journal, 17(S2), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171103
Srivastava, M. K., & Gnyawali, D. R. (2011). When do relational resources matter? Leveraging portfolio technological resources for breakthrough innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 797–810. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.64870140
Teece, D. J., Peteraf, M. A., & Leih, S. (2016). Dynamic capabilities and organizational agility: Risk, uncertainty, and strategy in the innovation economy. California Management Review, 58(4), 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.13
Teece, D., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–535. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z
Tsai, K. H., & Hsu, T. T. (2014). Cross-functional collaboration, competitive intensity, knowledge integration mechanisms, and new product performance: A mediated moderation model. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(2), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.08.012
Verma, P., Sharma, R. R. K., & Chen, L. H. (2020). Measuring organizational capabilities to horizontal strategy implementation for conglomerates. Business Strategy and Development, 3(1), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.79
Vincenzo, F., & Mascia, D. (2017). Knowledge development and advice networks in professional organizations. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 15(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41275-017-0049-7
Yadav, N., Kumar, R., & Malik, A. (2022). Global developments in coopetition research: A bibliometric analysis of research articles published between 2010 and 2020. Journal of Business Research, 145, 495–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.005
Zahra, S., & George, G. (2002). Absorptive capacity: A review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review, 27(2), 185–203. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2002.6587995
Zander, U., & Kogut, B. (1995). Knowledge and the speed of the transfer and imitation of organizational capabilities: An empirical test. Organization Science, 6(1), 76–92. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.6.1.76
Zhang, M., Macpherson, A., & Jones, O. (2006). Conceptualizing the learning process in SMEs. International Small Business Journal, 24(3), 299–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242606063434
Zhang, M., Zhao, X., & Lyles, M. (2018). Effects of absorptive capacity, trust, and information systems on product innovation. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 38(2), 493–512. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-11-2015-0687
Zhao, X., Huo, B., Selen, W., & Yeung, J. (2011). The impact of internal integration and relationship commitment on external integration. Journal of Operations Management, 29(1–2), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2010.04.004
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carmen Haro-Domínguez, Teresa Ortega-Egea, Antonia Ruiz-Moreno, Carlos Albacete-Sáez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors maintain the copyright, but they guarantee the journal its right for publication, that is under Creative Commons Licence, permitting others share the work, whereas clearly indicating the author and the first publication of the journal.
- Authors could adopt non-exclusive licence agreements for delivering the published version, whereas clearly indicating the first publishing in Revista de Estudios Empresariales. Second Era.
- Authors are encouraged to spread their works through Internet before and during the sending process, in order to make interesting scientific discussions that could increase the cites of the published work (Open Citation Project).
Revista de Estudios Empresariales. Second Era, uses PKP Preservation Network (PN).
