Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top

2019 | Book

Introduction Read chapter Read first chapter

Forward-looking External Search as a Driver for Innovation

An Empirical Analysis of the Value Contribution of Different Search Strategies for Corporate Foresight

Author: Sara Polier

Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

Book Series : Forschungs-/Entwicklungs-/Innovations-Management

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Login to get access
insite
SEARCH

About this book

In this empirical analysis Sara Polier investigates forward-looking external search strategies and their impact on the value contribution of corporate foresight. Based on a mixed method approach combining a quantitative and qualitative analysis of large, R&D-intensive firms, the findings reveal a general positive influence of different search strategies with respect to the scope (i.e. breadth, depth, and distance) and direction of search (i.e. market, science, and intermediary-driven) on the role of foresight as a driver for innovation. This relationship is found to be mediated by a firm’s exploratory learning capability, which appears to facilitate the effective transfer of external future-related knowledge into valuable outputs.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
The central aim of this thesis is to evaluate the role of forward-looking external search strategies for supporting the value contribution of corporate foresight as a driver of a firm’s innovation activities. As an introduction, the following sections will provide an overview of the general research motivation (Chapter 1.1), the research objectives and contribution (Chapter 1.2), and the further structure of this thesis (Chapter 1.3).
Sara Polier
Chapter 2. Theoretical Foundations of Organizational Search and Corporate Foresight
Abstract
As the research objective of this thesis involves to bridge literature from two research streams, the following sections will provide the theoretical background of both organizational search and corporate foresight. In Chapter 2.1, the foundations of organizational search are provided with a particular focus on the notions of external search, forward-looking search, and the balance between exploration and exploitation. Following this, Chapter 2.2 presents the background of corporate foresight, highlights the importance of search activities and external knowledge for foresight activities, and gives an overview of the value contribution of foresight for corporate innovation activities.
Sara Polier
Chapter 3. The Research Field of External Search
Abstract
As outlined in the previous chapter, leveraging external knowledge to search for early signs of future developments in the organizational environment has always been an important part of corporate foresight (Becker, 2002a; Rohrbeck and Gemünden, 2008) and has recently been reinforced with respect to the field of open and user innovation (Daheim and Uerz, 2008; Miemis et al., 2012). Following a recent call from literature (Rohrbeck et al., 2015), a stronger integration of foresight research with behavioral theory and in particular external search literature is considered important to gain a deeper understanding of forward-looking external search practices.
Sara Polier
Chapter 4. Research Questions and Hypotheses for the Empirical Study
Abstract
Based on the theoretical foundations and systematic review of the research field of external search in the previous chapters, the further research questions for this thesis are derived in Chapter 4.1. Subsequently, a research framework and corresponding hypotheses are developed that will guide the further empirical analysis (Chapter 4.2).
Sara Polier
Chapter 5. Empirical Study on Forward-looking External Search
Abstract
As outlined in the previous chapter, the aim of this thesis is to evaluate the impact of forwardlooking external search on the value contribution of foresight. The systematic analysis of previous research (Chapter 3.​2.2) shows that a strong research body on external search exists with a predominant focus on quantitative empirical studies. However, it has also been shown that to date little attention has been appointed to the specifics of forward-looking external search involving a context of high unvertainty and long time horizons.
Sara Polier
Chapter 6. Discussion of Findings
Abstract
To answer the overarching research questions of this thesis, the quantitative and qualitative findings will be discussed in light of the proposed hypotheses and past research. For this purpose, Chapter 6.1 is focused on RQ1 and a discussion of the structure and current focus of the field of external search. To answer RQ2, Chapter 6.2 engages in a discussion on the role of forward-looking external search for supporting the value contribution of foresight.
Sara Polier
Chapter 7. Conclusion
Abstract
The findings of this thesis provide valuable contributions for both theory (Chapter 7.1) and practice (Chapter 7.2), which will be outlined in the following. To conclude, the limitations of the study are discussed and future research directions are proposed in Chapter 7.3.
Sara Polier
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Forward-looking External Search as a Driver for Innovation
Author
Sara Polier
Copyright Year
2019
Electronic ISBN
978-3-658-26181-8
Print ISBN
978-3-658-26180-1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-26181-8