Abstract
This study examines structural changes in innovation: continuous globalization of R&D and changes towards more distributed innovation processes. MNCs have continuously extended their network of R&D locations and knowledge centers. They are moving away from a single, self-contained, in-house center of knowledge towards a more distributed and open architecture of knowledge generation and use.
Managing distributed innovation processes means orchestration of capabilities, multiple centers of excellence, and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. The paper differentiates between two issues: configuration and communication. The first issue deals with the tangible, hard and “objective” side, while the second issue is more concerned with interpretation, and this is often considered as “soft” or intangible.
Most existing studies have concentrated on tangible and “hard” aspects. We argue more in favour of the “soft” issues: processes of social communication, and the sharing of knowledge between diverse groups in a cross-cultural setting.
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Gerybadze, A. (2004). Knowledge Management, Cognitive Coherence, and Equivocality in Distributed Innovation Processes in MNCs. In: Macharzina, K., Oesterle, MJ., Wolf, J. (eds) Management International Review. mir Special Issue. Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-91001-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-91001-1_6
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