Broker roles in open innovation

Abstract

Knowledge brokers play a crucial role in open innovation. We use exponential random graph models and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interview data to contrast knowledge brokerage in three open innovation partnerships. Our analysis considers both tacit and explicit knowledge exchanges. Significant broker role effects occur mainly in tacit knowledge-sharing networks. This result implies that brokerage in open innovation is primarily about connecting know-how rather than know-what. We see that trust is crucial for both tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. Adding broker roles to exponential random graph models offers a more nuanced explanation of the observed network structure.

Keywords

• Open innovation
• Open innovation networks
• Knowledge brokerage
• Tacit knowledge
• Social network analysis
• Qualitative analysis