What Types of Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services Use Services as a Source of Innovation?

ABSTRACT The paper examines the factors that influence why knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) draw from other KIBS firms in their innovation activities. We provide new empirical evidence on specific firm‐level conditions under which the interactions between KIBS–KIBS are more (or less) likely to be observed. The effects of internal resources, different knowledge search activities, and innovation outcome strategies in influencing KIBS–KIBS interactions are explored. The analysis is based on original firm‐level survey with information on R&D KIBS in Montreal.