Exploring the exploratory search for innovation: a structural equation modelling test for practices and performance

Identifying, developing and commercialising innovations through traditional approaches are often ineffective or inefficient when discontinuous conditions occur. New or additional capabilities and practices are desirable for organisations under such complex conditions. Based on a comprehensive literature review about search practices and drawing on the empirical background of a survey to 500 Italian medium- and high-tech companies (by the Discontinuous Innovation Lab), the relations between search practices, exploration activities and firm performance are tested by structural equation modelling. Evidences shows that higher levels of search practices lead to higher levels of exploration activities and this, in its turn, can affect firm innovation performance.