INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORKS AND INNOVATION IN SMALL, KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE FIRMS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

A growing body of research acknowledges that inter-organizational networks greatly influence a firm's innovation performance. This study extends our understanding of this relationship by considering the effect of inter-organizational networks on innovation in small, knowledge-intensive companies. Based on a literature review, we formulate four propositions regarding the moderating effects of firm size and knowledge intensity on the relationship between inter-organizational networks and innovation, as well as the influence of these factors on the development of the inter-organizational networks themselves.