Knowledge integration mechanisms and product innovativeness: Toward a contingent perspective

Knowledge integration mechanisms have increasingly been considered a key predictor of product innovation, yet some central issues related to them remain ambiguous. This study draws upon the perspectives from familiarity trap to argue a curvilinear relationship between knowledge integration mechanisms and product innovativeness. A sample of 140 product development projects from manufacturing firms is analyzed by a hierarchical moderated regression method. Findings reveal that the curvilinear relationship between knowledge integration mechanisms and product innovativeness varies with the levels of market turbulence and competition. Specifically, under a high level of market turbulence and competitive intensity, the relationship between knowledge integration mechanisms and product innovativeness is a U-shaped relationship. Conversely, under a low level of market turbulence and competitive intensity, the relationship between knowledge integration mechanisms and product innovativeness is an inverted U-shaped relationship.