How internal users contribute to corporate product innovation: the case of embedded users

Tim Schweisfurth, Cornelius Herstatt · 2014 · R and D Management

Summary. Embedded users—employees who also use their company's products—contribute significantly to corporate innovation by bridging internal and external knowledge. Drawing on interviews across 23 firms, the study shows these employees deploy use knowledge, solution knowledge, and organizational knowledge alongside social capital throughout ideation, development, and marketing phases. Embedded users generate ideas, absorb external information, set specifications, conduct testing, and act as opinion leaders, effectively spanning organizational boundaries to bring customer needs into product development.

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@article{schweisfurth-2014-how-internal-users-contribute-corporate,
  title   = {How internal users contribute to corporate product innovation: the case of embedded users},
  author  = {Tim Schweisfurth and Cornelius Herstatt},
  journal = {R and D Management},
  year    = {2014},
  doi     = {10.1111/radm.12103},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12103}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - How internal users contribute to corporate product innovation: the case of embedded users
AU  - Tim Schweisfurth
AU  - Cornelius Herstatt
JO  - R and D Management
PY  - 2014
DO  - 10.1111/radm.12103
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12103
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1111/radm.12103

Countries

Germany

Regions

Europe

Categories

innovation-theory, innovation-networks, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-28