Innovation practices and their boundary-crossing mechanisms: a review and proposals for the future

Abstract

In response to the increased complexity of innovation projects, tools and methods applied in the innovation process need to be able to support knowledge sharing across semantic and pragmatic boundaries. Despite evidence of the importance of these tools and methods – referred to as innovation practices – for the success of innovation projects, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the nature of innovation practices. It is not clear yet, how innovation practices address the challenges of knowledge sharing across semantic and pragmatic boundaries. This article therefore advances knowledge in this area by offering a systematic analysis of innovation practices. Existing streams of innovation practices literature across different domains are reviewed. Comparing the knowledge sharing processes when innovation practices are applied, it has been found that innovation practices comprise four distinct mechanisms to cross semantic boundaries and three to cross pragmatic boundaries. Moreover, we integrate these findings with perspectives from other research areas so as to stimulate fruitful avenues for future research. In sum, rather than viewing innovation practices as ‘add-ons’, we submit that they are important variances to assess, model, and understand in order to overcome semantic and pragmatic knowledge boundaries in innovation projects.