Role of collaboration in innovation success: differences for large and small businesses

Abstract

This article analyses the role of collaboration in the contribution of innovation to business performance. Moreover, the analysis considers business size as a key control variable to understand the moderating role of collaboration in innovation success. A survey administered to Spanish firms from industrial, building, agriculture, and trade-service sectors measured two levels of innovation, incremental and radical, and two dimensions of collaboration, channel and consulting advice. The findings show that the probability of success increases when firms use collaboration to support innovation efforts. In addition, small businesses take more advantage of channel collaboration, whereas large businesses rely more on consulting advice-based collaboration. These findings suggest that the convenience of different collaboration approaches depend on business size. Also small and large firms differ on the way they might get additional advantages from alternative ways of collaboration. Therefore, the main contribution is the understanding of how innovation success depends on the interaction between the collaboration approach and business size.

Keywords:

• innovation
• business performance
• organizational collaboration
• channel collaboration
• consulting advice
• business size

JEL Classification:

• M3

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Óscar González-Benito

Óscar GONZÁLEZ-BENITO has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Salamanca (Spain) (1995), a MSc degree in Marketing from UMIST (UK) (1997) and a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from the University of Salamanca (Spain) (1999). He is Professor of Marketing at the University of Salamanca. In addition to publications in some of the most well-recognized Spanish marketing and management journals, he has published in international journals such as Journal of Retailing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, International Journal of Market Research, British Journal of Management, Marketing Letters, OMEGA and Small Business Economics.

Pablo A. Muñoz-Gallego

Pablo A. MUÑOZ-GALLEGO has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Oviedo (Spain) (1981) and a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from the University of Oviedo (Spain) (1986). He is currently Professor of Marketing at the University of Salamanca. He was President of the Economic and Social Council of Castilla y Leon, an independent advisory institution for the Regional Government, from 1996 to 2000. In addition to several published papers in some of the most recognised Spanish marketing and management academic journals, he has published articles in international journals such as Journal of Retailing, Marketing Letters, Journal of Small Business Management and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

Evelyn García-Zamora

Evelyn GARCÍA-ZAMORA has a degree in International Relations and Commerce from UIA (Costa Rica) (2003), a Master in e-Business and e-Commerce from University of Salamanca (Spain) (2004), and a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from from the University of Salamanca (Spain) (2012).