Inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovativeness. A comparative study

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims at integrating previous studies investigating the relationship between inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovation. Earlier research provides mixed results regarding this relationship. In this paper, it is argued that this may be because of an empirical bias in these studies, as they tend to focus on one sector, one type of innovation or one country. Using a cross-national comparative data set enables to account for these potential biases and establish the relationship between inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovation. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the effect of inter-organizational cooperation on product, process, organizational and market innovation, using data from 32 European countries and 6 different sectors (n = 27,019). The data are analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Findings The analysis shows that there is a positive relationship between inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovation, even when controlled for common innovation variables including general characteristics, organizational structure, organizational culture, HR strategies, networking interaction and external knowledge acquisition. Originality/value In contrast to most prior studies that rely on data from one sector, one country and one innovation type, this study examines the relationship between inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovativeness by taking into account multiple sectors, countries and types of innovation. This intends to generate more robust results regarding the link between inter-organizational cooperation and organizational innovativeness.