Improving Innovation Process Performance and Service Quality in Innovation Networks

The prevalence of innovation networks is ever increasing, with the role of universities in national innovation systems increasingly being emphasised. This chapter investigates the use of an innovation management application (IMA) by the technology transfer office of a university-focused innovation network that focuses on commercialisation of technologies developed by university researchers. Innovation process performance emerged as an important mediator between characteristics of the innovation management application (compatibility of the technology, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness) on attitude towards the technology, and toward the intermediary’s innovation orientation and service quality. Our research addresses marketing issues in the innovation context by relying on IMA as a means for fostering the underlying processes. Furthermore, the results extend the emerging literature on innovation process performance by not only establishing its relevance for an innovation network context but also by demonstrating its role as a mediator between IMA characteristics and attitude towards technology. The chapter concludes with an outline of managerial implications and future research directions.