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The framing of knowledge transfers to shared R&D suppliers and its impact on innovation performance: a regulatory focus perspective
Author(s) -
MartínezNoya Andrea,
GarcíaCanal Esteban
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
randd management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.253
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1467-9310
pISSN - 0033-6807
DOI - 10.1111/radm.12191
Subject(s) - competitor analysis , business , outsourcing , dilemma , framing (construction) , transaction cost , competence (human resources) , industrial organization , opportunism , knowledge transfer , knowledge management , marketing , economics , computer science , philosophy , management , structural engineering , market economy , epistemology , finance , engineering
When outsourcing research and development (R&D) services, fears of knowledge leakage can make client firms reluctant to transfer knowledge to their suppliers, even at the cost of reducing the performance of the agreement. Outsourcing to R&D suppliers shared with competitors ensures relying on refined capabilities due to the aggregation of the demands of related clients, but also aggravates this interorganizational learning dilemma. Taking a regulatory focus perspective, we argue that the client's commitment to the process of knowledge transfer with a shared supplier will depend on whether the relationship is framed with a promotion or a prevention focus. Using primary data at the transaction level from a survey conducted among 170 European and US technological firms, we find that sharing suppliers with competitors only boosts the client's innovative performance when outsourcing R&D services that do not require the transfer of tacit and firm‐specific knowledge. Otherwise, the appropriability hazards involved will make the firm frame the relationship with a prevention focus limiting the client's ability to achieve its innovation objectives.