A review of innovation research in economics, sociology and technology management

In this paper we review the extant innovation research from three fields - economics, organizational sociology and technology management - in order to find points at which the fields' approaches and assumptions overlap. By comparing research methods and approaches along three dimensions, stage of adoption, level of analysis, and type of innovation, we found, firstly, that studies from the three fields can be re-mapped into five more specific groups. We then illustrate how research from different groups can be cross-fertilized to help management of innovation in organizations. The paper suggests that knowing the ways in which different groups of studies differ from each other may lead to a more accurate understanding of the relative value of innovation research from each group, for both theorists and managers.