Factors in innovative search strategy for external knowledge sources

This study develops and tests a conceptual model that focuses on how managerial controllable variables influence the search strategy for technological innovation. Breadth and depth are two components of the openness of individual firm's external search strategies. Based on the literature, the authors developed 10 research hypotheses and tested the hypotheses using the data collected from 112 manufacturing firms in China. The findings suggest that organizational resources, the richness of external knowledge, and search experience increase levels of search breath, whereas characteristics of technology and market expectation are negatively associated with external search breadth. Characteristics of technology, market expectation and search experience are positively associated with search depth, whereas organizational resources decrease external search depth, and the influence of the richness of external knowledge on search depth is not significant.