ePrints

Knowledge Acquisition for Innovation: Networks of Top Managers in the European Fashion Industry

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Sonja Sperber

Downloads

• Published version [.pdf]

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).

Abstract

Past research revealed that social networks play a decisive role for the receipt of new knowledge by engineers and middle‐level managers and, thus, essentially contribute to innovation. However, the question of by which network ties top managers – that is, the key organizational decision‐makers – acquire which kind of innovation‐related knowledge resources has not yet been explored systematically. Our paper addresses this research gap by empirically analyzing knowledge ties of top executives in the European fashion and accessories industry. We draw on the concept of relational embeddedness and focus on knowledge providers and knowledge ties of top managers. Based on this theoretical framework, we conducted 22 semi‐structured interviews with top executives from 11 leading European companies within this industry. We present the main results of this explorative study and identify its important implications from both research and managerial perspective.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Fliaster A, Sperber S

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: European Management Review

Year: 2020

Volume: 17

Issue: 2

Print publication date: 30/07/2020

Online publication date: 17/12/2019

Acceptance date: 07/10/2019

Date deposited: 11/03/2020

ISSN (print): 1740-4754

ISSN (electronic): 1740-4762

Publisher: Wiley

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12373

DOI: 10.1111/emre.12373

Altmetrics

Share