Empirical Study on the Effect of Customer Participation on Innovation Performance

Abstract

Based on knowledge-based view and organizational learning theory, this paper investigated the effects of two types of customer participation (customer participation as an information resource and as a co-developer) on two types of breakthrough innovation (technology-based and market-based breakthrough), and the meditating effect of organizational learning. Empirical analysis from 193 firms in high-tech industry found that: (1) both customer participation as an information resource and as a co-developer could positively influence technology-based breakthrough; (2) customer participation as a co-developer negatively influence market-based breakthrough; (3) organizational learning mediates the relationships between customer participation and technology-based breakthrough.