External knowledge search and use in new product development

With rapidly shifting technological frontiers, innovative organizations cannot rely solely on internally generated knowledge and technologies anymore. Therefore, externally developed knowledge and technologies are getting more and more important in the development of new products. Not surprisingly, the search and use of external knowledge by innovating organizations is at the locus of scholarly attention. However, the literature has not yet been able to fully map its antecedents and consequences. To date, we only have a limited understanding of how external knowledge is used in the development of new products, especially in relation to internally generated knowledge. Furthermore, we do not have a clear picture yet of how successful organizations are in searching external knowledge. Drawing on analyses of two distinct datasets, this dissertation presents three interrelated studies that aim to advance our understanding of how external knowledge can be successfully searched and used in new product development.