Internal Markets for Innovation - Case Study Results of Blockades at Affiliates' Level in Developed Markets

摘要

Internationalization of R&D is an upcoming research topic. However, as far as group-internal resource exchanges between affiliates are concerned, research is scarce. Therefore, the present study shed light on the discussion in literature by detecting obstacles and accelerators regarding the opening of R&D to affiliated companies in the same business group. The challenges are analysed for affiliates in order to engage themselves in group-internal markets, for instance to avoid bottlenecks in the product development or to improve their technological knowledge. To research this phenomenon, a case study is accomplished by investigating a Multinational company whose affiliates are self-reliant and horizontally diversified. Mixed methods are applied by having structured depth interviews with the responsible R&D managers as well as by sending a survey out to associated project managers. The study indicates that the organizational complexity, infrastructures within the business group and the impact of external market structures play an essential role for the usage and effectiveness of group-internal markets. Hence, the insights offer valuable clues why internal markets have advantages and disadvantages for affiliates under certain circumstances, i.e. in matters of communication, or why collaboration efforts introduced by the business group management do not yield results.