Seeking an innovation structure common to both manufacturing and services

• DOI: 10.1007/s11628-014-0234-1
• Publication Date: 2014-02-27T08:10:24Z
• Authors: Rafael Cáceres; Joaquin Guzmán
• Keywords: 9. Industry and infrastructure; 0502 economics and business; 05 social sciences

In accordance with the numerous researchers who have stated the need for an integrated and holistic theory of innovation, this article attempts to determine similarities between the processes of innovation in services and manufacturing that support the integrative approach to innovation. The analysis provides a structure of innovative activities carried out by firms, which is common to both manufacturing and services using data from the Community Innovation Survey 4 (CIS-4). The empirical analysis applies an innovative methodology based on calculating conditional probabilities to measure the level of complementarity between different innovative activities. Results show that a structure consisting of complementary innovative activities carried out by firms is clearly discernible in the high-tech manufacturing sector and prevails in the remaining sectors despite a reduction in intensity as the level of technology decreases.