The relationship between the sources of innovation and types of innovation in industry

Abstract

This article aims to understand the relationship between the sources of innovation and types of innovation in industry. The study was carried out in a multinational car components company and explores the effects of internal and external sources of innovation on the generation of product/process and radical/incremental innovations. Data were obtained via a questionnaire and processed by qualitative and quantitative methods. The characterization of the company and its research and development (R&D) projects disclosed the importance of continuous improvement, where the involvement of senior management, the high percentage of R&D and the number of innovation projects are indicators of a company with a strong innovative culture. The results showed that higher education was the most significant source of innovation in projects where only process innovation was a factor. Furthermore, knowledge generated by collaboration with affiliated companies was associated with the introduction of product-only innovations. As for the degree of novelty, the results indicate that the introduction of radical innovations is not determined at the external level by customers.