When analyzing capabilities that enable business model innovation, the influence of knowledge and knowledge management has been rarely considered, despite the fact that a firm´s knowledge management capabilities of maintaining and leveraging knowledge have been referred to being a key resource for innovation. Further, the integration of a firm´s risk taking tolerance, moderating the effects of enablers on business model innovation, has been neglected. Therefore, this study analyses the impact a firm´s knowledge management infrastructure and process capabilities have on business model innovation and how the effects are moderated by a firm´s climate of risk taking. We empirically analyze a sample of 230 mid-sized companies and are able to find that a firm´s knowledge process capabilities of acquiring, converting and applying new knowledge out of external sources have a significant and positive effect on business model innovation. A firm´s ability to exploit existing internal knowledge through its knowledge infrastructure capabilities seem to be less relevant for business model innovation. We further find that for firms with a low risk-taking tolerance, knowledge infrastructure capabilities positively influence business model innovation. However, for firms with a high risk-taking tolerance, they have a negative impact on business model innovation.
Autor:Hock-Döpgen, Marianne & Clauß, Thomas
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