Knowledge creation through knowledge brokers: some anecdotal evidence

Innovation and knowledge creation, widely recognized as drivers for success, imply continuous investments that not always have a return. New technologies affect the innovation map, causing the obsolescence of conventional ways and the promotion of new approaches. Among these, Open Innovation contributes to new knowledge creation and develops innovation. To be competitive, organizations can take advantage of this new perspective to speed their innovation processes to catch the right solution and, thus, avoiding time and investment expenditure. In this context, knowledge brokers play a significant role because they facilitate the interactions among organizations and the combination of complementary assets and capabilities necessary to identify new ideas. This paper wants to highlight how knowledge brokerage can be a solution for organizations with a proactive approach to innovation. This conceptual paper presents some anecdotal evidence that allows us to design and to analyze opportunities and challenges of intermediation and/or knowledge brokers’ role. Copyright Springer Verlag 2011