Knowledge-Intensive Innovation Management: A Multiple Case-Study Of Local Computer Services Companies

Managing innovation is increasingly considered a question of managing knowledge. A paradigmatic case is that of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) which, acting as intermediaries between external knowledge sources and final business users, can boost and spread innovation. A better understanding of the ways KIBS companies work can help to clarify the mechanisms that govern the diffusion of innovations into large scattered markets, and provides insights into the possible approaches to the management of these companies. This paper investigated the computer services sector, seen as a knowledge-intensive industry. Based on a comparative analysis of 21 companies located in the Northeast of Italy, it examined how the management of cognitive processes by KIBS can lead to the development of innovative services and, by this way, can facilitate the transfer of innovations to local business users.