Mitigating Not-Invented-Here & Not-Sold-Here Problems : Leveraging External Ideas through Corporate Innovation Hubs

Sammanfattning: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand How Corporate Innovation Hubs (CIHs) can Mitigate NIH and NSH Problems in Knowledge Transfer. To fulfill this purpose, the following research questions were derived: RQ1: What are the causes of NIH & NSH problems among actors collaborating through a CIH? RQ2: What are the consequences of NIH & NSH problems among actors collaborating through a CIH? RQ3: What mechanisms can a CIH use to mitigate NIH & NSH problems among collaborating actors? Method – The study is an explorative inductive multiple case-study, investigating five CIHs situated in either Silicon Valley, US or Gothenburg, Sweden. In total, 39 interviews were conducted in three waves, and results were derived using a Gioia analysis. Findings – This study resulted in a framework illustrating connections of causes and consequences of NIH and NSH problems with corresponding mitigating mechanisms. The most critical causes are Obsessive control (NIH), Internal antagonism (NIH) and Low confidential awareness (NSH). The most severe consequences are Use of irrelevant knowledge (NIH), Suffocation of external ideas (NIH) and Restrained problem-solving (NSH). The most important mitigating mechanisms are Translate relevance of ideas (NIH) and Create mutual confidential understanding (NSH). Theoretical and Practical Implications – This study contributes to the scarce literature on NIH and NSH problems among multiple actors collaborating through CIHs. By identifying causes, consequences and mitigating mechanisms of NIH and NSH problems, CIHs will be able to detect NIH and NSH tendencies among its collaborating actors, to mitigate its causes and prevent its consequences. Limitations and Future Research – The study is limited by the investigated CIHs focus on exploring future transportation solutions, indicating that future studies can investigate CIHs in other industry settings and among other actors collaborating through CIHs. Keywords: Corporate Innovation Hubs; NIH; NSH; Knowledge Transfer