Customers as External Sources of Knowledge to Foster Innovation

Abstract

The overall aim and contribution of this chapter is to identify the main sources of knowledge generation in Mexican firms and the organizational elements that are relevant in this process. Knowledge generation occurs through external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge creation. The latter process is facilitated by personal motivation and the learning opportunities it offers to the organization's employees, who play a key role as initiative and suggestion carriers. In order to evaluate the phenomenon under study, which the literature review reflects as an incipient stage, an exploratory study was conducted. Several interviews were conducted in 23 firms. The results show how knowledge generation activities differ among services and manufacturing firms in 23 Mexican organizations. Services firms emphasize course socialization, meetings, customers and outsourcing, manufacturing in customers, and employee self-directed learning.