Deciphering antecedents of organizational innovation

This study investigates antecedents of organizational innovation in firms. The study elaborates on Mol and Birkinshaw's (2009) model by additionally accounting for organizational innovation as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Based on a large sample of German firms drawn from the 2005 “Community Innovation Survey” (CIS IV), the empirical results significantly contrast those by Mol and Birkinshaw; the data corroborate neither reference group-theory, nor the knowledge search-perspective as adequate accounts for the adoption of organizational innovation by German firms. Instead, the firms' competitive environment is significant in predicting adoption behavior.