External technology integration in product and process development

Abstract This paper empirically examines the process of acquiring technology from a source, external to the firm, and incorporating it into a new product or operational process under development. We refer to this key activity in product and process innovation as external technology integration. This paper develops a conceptual model of external technology integration based on organizational information processing theory and a wide range of technology management literature. Field interviews were conducted to evaluate the validity of the model across diverse settings. Our results indicate general support for the conceptual model. We close with a discussion of the implications of this study for both theory and practice.