Marketing

Innovation management

Product (mathematics)

Process (computing)

Archaeology

Work in process

Operating system

Computer science

Typology

New product development

Business

Innovation process

Mathematics

Open innovation

Geometry

Industrial organization

Knowledge management

Product innovation

Fragmentation (computing)

History

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

SME inbound open innovation has primarily received attention for new product development, overlooking the fact that SMEs may also pursue process or, simultaneously, product and process innovation. We posit that different technological innovation typologies (product vs process) are related to distinct search strategies. Focusing on 3,867 innovative SMEs, results indicate that inbound open innovation is not only related to internal resources of innovation but also to the type of technological innovation chosen by firms. Our results disentangle a rather more complex and comprehensive view of SME inbound open innovation that prevents the fragmentation of results. It is not just about being more or less innovative, but about how SMEs innovate differently, developing distinct internal and external activities.

Technological innovation typologies and open innovation in SMEs: Beyond internal and external sources of knowledge