Understanding the boost for knowledge sharing in the front-end: A single case study about motivation to cross-functional share knowledge in the front-end

Abstract: Title: Understanding the boost for knowledge sharing in the front-end: A single case study about motivation to cross-functional share knowledge in the front-end Date: May 2018 Course: ENTN39 Master’s Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Internship and degree project (Master’s thesis 15 ECTS) Authors: Herslow, Carl-Johan & Wild, Max-Joseph Supervisor: Ass. Professor Shibayama, Sotaro Examiner: Ass. Professor Winborg, Joakim Keywords: Front-end innovation, knowledge sharing, motivation, cross-functional communication, conditions, knowledge management, fuzzy front-end, high-technology firms, innovation process Research Questions: 1. What factors influence employees to share knowledge cross- functionally in front-end activities? 2. How do these factors form conditions which motivate employees to share knowledge cross-functionally in front-end activities? Methodology: The research is a single case study based on an abductive approach. The main data was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed by using the concepts of Gioia et al. (2012) to build up first order concepts, second order themes, aggregated dimensions and finally the grounded theory. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical focus of this study is the front-end phase of innovation. This perspective is connected to knowledge sharing and cross-functional communication. Additionally, motivational theories in the context of knowledge-sharing and front-end are incorporated to answer the research questions. Conclusions: The study contributes to the research fields of front-end innovation, motivation and cross-functional knowledge sharing. In the findings, different factors were found that influence employees to share knowledge. Further, interrelations between these factors were examined to give an understanding of different conditions. Here, ten conditions were identified which motivate employees to share knowledge cross-functionally in the front-end phase. Further, the findings and discussion give managerial implications for how companies can increase the motivation among employees to share knowledge cross-functionally in the front end.