Title: Innovation training and product innovation performance: the moderating role of external cooperation

Authors: Eulogio Cordón-Pozo; M. Dolores Vidal-Salazar; José M. De La Torre-Ruiz

Addresses: Management Department, University of Granada, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain ' Management Department, University of Granada, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain ' Management Department, University of Granada, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain

Abstract: Training has traditionally been considered as an effective mechanism to leverage human capital and as a consequence improve firms' innovation performance. However, studies specifically analysing the effect of training on innovation performance are scarce and the results inconclusive. This paper examines the influence of specific innovation training on product innovation performance and analyses how external cooperation can moderate this relationship. The empirical analysis used here is based on a representative panel of 176 Spanish firms in high-tech industries. The findings suggest that the positive impact of innovation training on product innovation performance occurs when firms are cooperating with external agents. Thus, our results suggest that through external cooperation firms can overcome the problems that a focus-oriented training can have regarding product innovation performance.

Keywords: product innovation; innovation training; external cooperation; high-tech industry; high technology; innovation performance; human capital; Spain.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2017.082354

International Journal of Technology Management, 2017 Vol.73 No.1/2/3, pp.3 - 20

Received: 31 Jul 2014
Accepted: 03 Mar 2015
Published online: 21 Feb 2017 *

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